Crossroads of Destiny
by DeathGoblin
Summary: One year after Juu returns to Earth. Can the Z-fighters handle the threat of the androids? What will Juu's choise be? Join the androids or help Gohan? Sequel to 'A Different Gohan'
1. Alone

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

Note: this is the sequel to 'A Different Gohan'

* * *

She had been living on Earth for a year. She had found a job, and melted into ordinary society. One who didn't know her past would've thought of her as a normal human, but she was anything but normal.

Juu reclined in her easy chair. She stared blankly at the television screen with remote in hand. For most of her life, her brother would bug her about going outside or terrorizing humans. He wasn't there anymore, and she wasn't completely used to it.

With a sigh, she turned on the TV and started flipping through the channels, but nothing caught her eye. She continued for a five minutes before it got to her.

She turned the TV off and got up from her chair.

_Time to get some fresh air_, she thought.

She opened the back door of her house and stepped outside. Unfortunately, her view was littered with the nearby skyscrapers of south city.

"So it's true. You are here on Earth."

Juu jumped at the voice and saw Piccolo perched on her roof.

"How did you find me?"

"I searched for you to make sure you weren't a threat. One of my friends thought he saw you here. I came to check it out, and found you."

"Leave me alone. I've done nothing to you for the past year."

"Yes, but that doesn't change the fact that Goku's dead." Piccolo's tone became harsher. "There's no reason why Trunks wouldn't rip you apart if he knew where you lived."

The fear showed on Juu's face. "D-does he know?"

"Perhaps. I haven't told him, but he knows that I came here to investigate. Now listen well. You're already on probation. Slip up once, give us one good reason to think that you might hurt the innocent, and I will personally make sure you never live to hurt anyone again!"

Juu gulped as she nodded affirmatively. The namekian were serious and without Gohan to protect her, she would be no match for the Z-fighters.

"Good. Don't think you've seen the last of us either. We'll be checking up on you from time to time."

With that said Piccolo stood up and took off towards the lookout.

* * *

Trunks walked into a bar and looked around. When he saw a group of people at a table, he walked up to them with a smile.

"Hey guys. Long time no see."

The people at the table were Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, and Chaotzu. They hadn't been in contact for a while and decided to get together to catch up.

They all said their hellos to Trunks before making room for him to sit.

"So anything knew happen?" asked Krillin.

"Nope, I've been training really hard. I want to be ready when the androids finally do appear."

Krillin got a sly smile. "I mean, have you been seeing anyone lately?" He elbowed Trunks.

Trunks blushed for a moment before shaking his head. "I've never thought to start a relationship with anyone. I have to be ready for the androids."

Yamcha chuckled. "You sound like Tien and Chaotzu. Their training has also got in the way of their social life."

Tien crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "Chaotzu and I don't need a social life. We're completely devoted to our training."

Krillin shook his head and gave Tien and Trunks the look of a disappointed parent. "You guys don't know what you have. Both of you could probably get any girl you wanted. Yet you waste your life training, and here I am struggling to even get a date with anyone."

Yamcha gave Krillin and sympathetic look and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Krillin."

Krillin shrugged the hand off and grinned at Yamcha. "Hey, I don't need your pity."

The five continued to talk as the day progressed.

* * *

Juu gazed up at the stars that night. She remembered the day when she made that life-changing journey through them a year ago.

Letting another sigh escape her lips, she went back inside. She remembered how confused she was when she first met the Gohan of this timeline. He was in many ways, the opposite of the Gohan she had known.

He didn't care about his father. He could be arrogant and very Vegeta-like. He had long unruly hair instead of the short cut hair of the other Gohan. However, the most important thing of all was that he gave her a second chance. He trusted her to change while the other Gohan could only think of how to destroy her.

She sat in the easy chair and started flipping through the channels again. Hopefully there would be something good to watch this time.

As she flipped through the channels, one program in particular caught her eye. She saw a picture of two thirteen year olds that looked like her and Juunannagou.

"_This week's 'Mysterious Mysteries' is about the mysterious disappearance of twin orphans in the mysterious mountains of North City." _

Juu could tell that this was more of a dramatic documentary than a news article, but she was still interested.

"_The orphanage burned down and the twins were forced to seek refuge in the mountains. They didn't go very far into the forest as an old man that lives just five miles outside the forest saw them last. Perhaps he was responsible or maybe it was something else." _

At that point, Juu realized that the program would go into all sorts of conspiracy theories. But she was satisfied with what she saw. She knew they were out there, but she didn't know when they would come.

Juu decided to go for a walk outside. She walked out the front door and made her way down the sidewalk.

It was a full moon out and she could hear the crickets chirping. Everything was fine until she was abruptly stopped. A hand was on her shoulder. She would have turned around and bashed the man's face in if he hadn't spoken up.

"Long time no see." The voice wasn't friendly, it sounded icy and menacing.

_Fuck! What's he doing here?_ She froze up. She knew she wouldn't be able to defeat him.

"What's wrong android? Do you dislike the taste of your own medicine?"

"H-how did you find me?"

"Piccolo told me where you lived. I'm going to check up on you from time to time. Just watch yourself." Trunks turned her around so she was facing him. "Or else!" He threw a punch at her, but stopped it when it was just the slightest distance away from her face."

She winced at his fist. When she chance opening her eyes she saw angry turquoise eyes staring back.

"You're lucky. Korin said I shouldn't hurt you until you do something bad. Don't even think about it!"

Trunks let go of her, turned his back, and flew off.

Juu sank down to her knees, tears leaking out of her eyes. She rose a minute later and ran into her house. She needed a good night's sleep.

As she curled into the fetal position under the covers, she shivered. It wasn't from the physical cold, but the lack of emotional warmth.

Without the warmth of a loved one, she might as well be frozen.

She started to cry as her shivering body submerged itself under the covers. Her heart cried out for comfort, but there was no one to answer.

* * *

This chapter wasn't as long as I wanted it to be, but nothing much happens, this just introduces you to Juu's current status.


	2. Competance in Combat

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

* * *

Juu woke up the next morning. There were damp patches on her pillow from all the crying. She groaned as she stretched and sat up.

The sounds of people going about there business was outside. There were kids playing outside, and the sound of the nearby city traffic was present.

Juu was happy that today was Saturday. She wouldn't have to go to work. She wasn't sure if she was up to it after meeting Trunks yesterday.

As she ate her bowl of cereal, she decided to watch the news.

"_Greetings from Z-TV! Today's story is a disturbing, yet fascinating one about the red ribbon army, now thought to be disbanded. Our sources claim that there is at least one member that has not been brought to justice. His name is Dr. Gero. Once one of the four most scientists in the field of robotics, he is now a criminal mastermind Red Ribbon."_

_An image of Dr. Gero appeared, taking up the upper right corner of the screen. _

"_If you see this man the government has asked that you report it as soon as possible." _

Juu turned the TV off after the end of the report. The story reminded her of that episode of mysterious mysteries. Those two teens that were kidnapped, they were her and Juunannagou's counterparts.

Dr. Gero would unleash them as Seventeen and Eighteen soon.

* * *

Trunks was sparring with Piccolo on top of the lookout. They could only get a decent spar from each other since all the others were far below their level.

Trunks was currently on the offensive. He threw punches and kicks rapidly.

Piccolo appeared to be the more competent fighter as he was able to block and evade all of Trunks' blows.

Piccolo tilted his head to the side to avoid a straight punch from Trunks he then leapt into the air when he sensed Trunks trying to knock him off balance with a foot swipe. At last, he saw an opening, and exploited it.

Trunks was holding himself up by his hands after that foot swipe and had no defense against an aerial attack.

Piccolo grinned and spun around mid-air, delivering a roundhouse kick to Trunks' chest, ending the sparring session.

"I think that's enough for today Trunks."

Trunks looked out and say Piccolo's hand. He grabbed it and was pulled to his feet.

"Your fighting could use some work Trunks. You're strong, but you can't win if you leave yourself open all the time."

Trunks gave Piccolo a skeptical look. "I'm the legendary super saiyan. I could just overwhelm my opponents with sheer power."

"But what if you meet an opponent who's stronger than you, and has better fighting skills. You'll need better skills to win that kind of fight."

"I don't think that's possible Piccolo. I mean…Juuhachigou, one of the androids that terrorized a timeline similar to mine; even she quakes in fear of my power. I don't see how there could be anyone stronger besides another super saiyan."

"That's arrogance Trunks. Don't forget, you lost to Gohan and he wasn't a super saiyan while you were. That shows how much better he was at fighting than you."

"That's true…" Trunks seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Now do you see my point?"

"I…do…but the chances of us even seeing Gohan again are slim to none."

"There's still a chance. We know he's out there, and that he's willing to fight us if it comes down to that. We have to be ready for him."

"I think we should be more ready for the androids. I think we've done a pretty good job of that."

"The androids you warned us about haven't appeared yet. We'll never know how good a job we did until we fight them…if we ever fight them. I'm actually beginning to wonder if those androids will ever emerge in our timeline."

"They will…I know they will." Trunks clenched his fists and looked at the floor.

"Something wrong Trunks?"

"I still can't get over the person Gohan's become. I had a thirteen-year long friendship with the Gohan in my world. His death was what triggered my transformation…and now…this Gohan beats the crap out of me the first time we meet."

"You can't live in the past Trunks. You have to move on. Fight in the memory of the old Gohan, don't dwell on how different the new one is."

"Thank Piccolo. I guess I'll leave now. Goodbye." Trunks took off towards his current home at Capsule Corp.

* * *

"Good to see you again Trunks, I was getting worried."

"I'm a super saiyan. You don't have to worry about me mo-Bulma."

Bulma gave him a warm smile before turning to go back to her lab.

"My mom made dinner. We saved some for you."

"Thanks."

Trunks walked over to the kitchen and saw the food on the table. Dr. Briefs was also at the table looking at the results from a recent test he had performed.

"Hello Trunks."

"Hello Dr. Briefs, are you reading something interesting?"

"As a matter of fact I am. I've reviewed the genetic test results from Goku, and the saiyan- human hybrids including yourself. Remember the blood sample I asked you for?"

"I do. So what were you testing?"

"Well, for starters I wanted to see how the genetic structure of a saiyan compared with those of hybrids as well as humans. I took blood samples from several volunteers for the human sample. The saiyan sample from Goku was from many years ago when I thought he was a human. I wanted to learn why he had a tail as well as other strange features. I got the hybrid samples from you, Goten, and a trace sample from Gohan that I found on some of his baby toys."

"Oh…so what did you find."

"Actually, I located the gene that determines how powerful an individual can become as well as the base ki they have if untrained. The human growth was very low compared to Goku's samples and the base ki was lower. You're sample was equal to Goku's, though it might have been due to you having a father with better genes since Goten's sample showed a base ki and ki growth level that was lower than Goku's, but higher than a human's."

"And what about Gohan's sample?"

"Ah…that sample was an enigma."

"How so?"

"It defies the rules of hybridization I developed. I assume its due to some mutation that occurred, but Gohan's base ki and ki growth rate are far greater than Goku's. It unbelievably high. If Gohan were to become a super saiyan, he would be theoretically unstoppable."

Trunks' eyes were wide. Beneath the surface, there was jealousy with a slight hint of fear. _So Gohan's got genetic superiority on his side, it's a good thing a jerk like him won't be able to turn super saiyan. Now I know how my father felt when Goku was always a step ahead of him._

"Oh, there was one more thing I found. The super saiyan gene."

"A gene that determines whether or not you become a super saiyan?"

"Sort of, you can have it and not become a super saiyan, but you can't not have it and become a super saiyan. That gene is present in your sample and Goku's sample, but absent from Goten's."

"What about Gohan's?"

"I honestly don't know. That particular part of his sequence was missing. I could find it very quickly if I had a recent blood sample instead of an eighteen-year old saliva sample from his teething ring."

"I see…in all honesty I hope it isn't present. The last thing we need is to worry about a super saiyan Gohan attack."

"Oh, bye the way, I heard that you've managed to locate that android, the one who killed Goku."

"I have, and don't worry. I paid her a visit to make sure she wasn't up to no good."

"That's nice to hear, though I'm always edgy when thinking about the androids that haven't appeared yet."

"They'll show…eventually." Trunks started eating.

Dr. Briefs got up and went to his lab to do some more work. As he left he asid one last thing.

"We're going to have a party tomorrow. We have a dining hall booked, and we're inviting all our friends."

* * *

Juu stared blankly at the coffee mug in front of her. She had decided to go out and get coffee, but the dark color had reminded her of her brother's hair. She missed him so much.

She realized that it was impossible for her to go back. She had to move on.

Where was Gohan anyway? The last time they saw each other he has said he would come back and check up on her. It was a year and she hadn't seen him. Had he abandoned her?

_Yeah, I wouldn't put it past that bastard. He never cared about me. He probably just dropped me off and decided to avoid this planet for good._ She took a sip of the coffee.

Why did she care about him anyway? She couldn't possibly have feelings for him. Those tender moments they had, were a product of lust not love. He was a teenager, and she was biologically a teenager. They had raging hormones and were both very attractive people. Having a forced journey together without adult supervision was bound to lead to something.

She glanced back down at the coffee with a dreamy look. _It was lust…not love. He probably never really cared for me. He only wanted me gone._

As much as she tried to convince herself, she just couldn't get over his absence. She felt horribly betrayed when he never showed up.

Today was a repeat of yesterday. A desire for comfort with no one around to provide it.

* * *

This chapter wasn't as long as I wanted, but I'm planning on making the next chapter longer. Don't worry about Gohan, he will come into the story eventually, but Juu's the main chareter of this story so it will focus more on her.

I have some review questions:

1-What is your opinion on Juu's current state of mind?

2-What is your opinion on Trunks'?

3-What are your predictions on the arrival of Seventeen and Eighteen?


	3. Rebellion

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

**Note:** Before I continue, I want to get something cleared up. There will be no level beyond super saiyan in this story. Although SSJ 3 and 4 looked cool, I felt they took away from the story. I want to preserve the legend in this story.

* * *

Juu couldn't sleep that night. She had been up all night thinking about her counterparts in this timeline. They would have to emerge at some point in time. What would she do when they finally came?

She remembered the last few days on New Vegeta, after she and Gohan had defeated King Cold. The last few days where she saw him

Flashback:

_Juu wrapped her arms around her legs and kept her body scrunched together as she sat with her back against what appeared to be an evergreen tree. _

_The forest she was in, appeared to be filled with evergreens, though there were no plants on the forest floor. The major difference between them and the ones on Earth was the presence of fruit. _

_Gohan had brought her here to show her the beauty of nature. However, she only felt how cold New Vegeta's nights could be. _

_As she closed her eyes, she felt something warm wrap around her. She opened her eyes and saw that she was wrapped in a shawl. _

_Gohan was back, and sitting with his back to the tree across from her. He gave her a gentle smile. _

"_You looked cold Juu." _

_Juu blinked a few times. Even her brother would've just teased her for showing weakness. Gohan wasn't as immature after all. _

"_I didn't need it. I'm a cyborg." _

"_I doubt that. You were shivering. You might be a cyborg, but I know you'll always be a woman on the inside." _

_Juu looked to the ground and blushed. Gohan didn't notice the blush, but he saw a change in her attitude. _

"_Is something wrong?" _

"_I was just thinking. Now that Cold is dead, there's no reason for us to be together anymore." _

_Gohan raised an eyebrow then broke out into laughter. "That's silly Juu. Why would that be?"_

End

Juu closed her eyes and allowed tears to roll down again.

* * *

The old man sat at his desk. The dark circles under his eyes displayed the lack of sleep.

He cleared the dust from his eyes with his hands before getting up and turning to his pods.

There were only two pods now. One labeled Seventeen, the other labeled Eighteen.

The man sighed as he made his way up to his bed in the house that was connected to the lab. He was Dr. Gero.

_It's almost time. Soon they will all learn to fear my creations. I have finally figure out how to make them work. They will obey me this time. _

Pushing these thoughts aside, Dr. Gero got into bed and fell asleep.

* * *

On a far away planet, a man with long, black hair stood in the middle of an open field. He stared up at the sky as if there was something in it that interested him.

"Thinking about her again Gohan?"

Gohan turned around and saw his uncle approaching him. "I guess you think I'm pretty weak."

"You're wrong Gohan. There is nothing weak about feeling that way about anyone. If you couldn't fight a battle because said person distracted your mind, then it would be weakness, but just staring up at the sky like that isn't weakness. Those feelings can actually give you strength you never knew you had."

"What should I do uncle?"

"Go see her. It's been a year. I'm sure she's been waiting for you. She probably misses you so much that she'll pounce on you the moment she sees you."

Gohan blushed before turning away. "But…I don't think it'll work. She has no interest in me. She was probably just playing along."

"Gohan…I can tell when they're lying, and when I last saw her she wasn't lying."

Gohan smiled. "Thanks uncle. I think I will go see her now." Gohan walked past Raditz and towards a nearby spaceship, his spaceship. He had landed it there after arriving from a recent mission.

Nappa walked up to Raditz when he saw the ship taking off.

"I heard all the things you said. Can you really tell when they're lying?"

"Off course not. I just had to boost his confidence."

Nappa started cracking up.

Raditz looked up at Gohan's ship as it exited the atmosphere. _Good luck nephew. _

* * *

Yamcha was shopping on an island in the south. He had heard of a jewelry store here that had a unique selection of rings.

_Ah! There's the shop! _He confidently walked into a shop called Gems.

He marveled at the vast collection of beautiful rings.

A finely dressed man walked up to him. "Sir, is there something I can help you with?"

"Yeah. I want to get that ring for someone special."

The man gave Yamcha a knowing smile before walking around the counter and taking his order.

"This ring will cost 250,000 zeni."

Yamcha looked surprised, but undeterred. "Here you are." He wrote up a check and handed it to the man. _I'm glad athletes make so much money._

Yamcha walked out of the store with a satisfied look on his face.

* * *

She opened her eyes after over a year of sleep. She remembered what had happened last time as if it were yesterday.

Looking around the room, she saw the doctor looking back at her. He had an apprehensive look on his face. In his hand was that infernal remote control.

Grabbing the sides of her pod, she slowly lifted herself out and gave him a fake smile.

"Hello Dr. Gero. How have you been?"

A satisfied smirk appeared on his face. "Good Eighteen. You remember me. Now to wake up your brother."

Pushing a button, he released her brother, Seventeen from his pod.

It only took a few seconds for Seventeen to register what was going on. Glancing at his sister for a moment he quickly took the hint and gave the doctor a false smile.

"Hello doctor. How are you today?"

"Good. So you remember me too Seventeen."

"Yes of course sir."

Seventeen glanced at the remote control before having a silent exchange with his sister.

Dr. Gero folded his arms behind his head and started pacing in front of the twins.

"In the past you two have shown your defiant nature. I will have you know that that behavior will not be tolerated. If you disobey me again I will push the button and shut both of you down permanently."

They both nodded to him.

"Today is the day when you will destroy Goku and his friends. You will attack on an island southwest of South City."

Eighteen raised an eyebrow. "Why not attack North City? It has just as many people and would likely draw their attention."

"That's just it Eighteen. The city is too close to the lab. People might suspect that you came from a place near the area where you attacked first. You will attack on the other side of the planet to avoid drawing attention here."

Seventeen gave Dr. Gero a confident smirk. "Would that really be necessary? We should be able to take them all easily. We can protect you no matter what."

"Never mind my reasoning Seventeen. Now that's enough questions. It's time to move out."

"Yes sir," said both the twins in unison.

* * *

Yamcha was about to leave when the first explosion hit. He turned around with wide eyes and saw the city behind him in flames.

He ran into the inferno and saw several people hanging on for deer life. They had tried to climb out the window, but found it a greater drop than they had thought.

"I'll save you!" Yamcha flew up and took them to the ground one by one.

The people all thanked Yamcha and called him a hero. After all of it was done Yamcha continued his journey deeper into the inferno.

As he ran deeper and deeper, he heard more explosions and more screams. Anger welled up inside him at every corpse he saw on the way.

The air was thick with the stench of dead rotting flesh. In the middle of all this chaos stood three unmoving figures.

Two of them looked like they could be twins while the third was an old man.

Having never seen Juu Yamcha didn't recognize Eighteen.

"You three better be careful. There are some delinquents causing trouble around here and I'm gonna find them."

Dr. Gero gave Yamcha an evil grin. "Look no further Yamcha."

He was taken aback. How could they know his name? "Wh-who…are you three. And why do you know my name. Did you cause all this trouble?"

Dr. Gero started laughing as Seventeen walked towards Yamcha.

Yamcha was confused until he got a good look at their clothing. It was the infamous Red Ribbon insignia.

He felt his fear build as he remembered the warnings of Trunks and Piccolo. "N-no! You can't be…androids!"

At that moment, Seventeen vanished.

Yamcha's fear built as he looked around. He couldn't find Seventeen anywhere, and he didn't want to take his eyes off Dr. Gero or Eighteen.

Then he felt a pain in his stomach, and looked down to see an arm sticking through.

_This can't be…it can't end like this. I didn't even have a chance to propose yet._

At that point, Yamcha blacked out. Seventeen withdrew his arms and walked back to the other two.

Dr. Gero clapped his hands. "You have done well Seventeen. Let us return to the lab now. I want to savor this moment and give Goku a jolt."

"Very well sir."

The three figures lifted into the air and flew back to the laboratory. Dr. Gero flew in front while Seventeen and Eighteen flew behind him.

Seventeen turned to Eighteen and nodded.

Eighteen nodded back, and they both started eyeing the remote control in Dr. Gero's hand.

* * *

Goten had come to visit Capsule Corp. He was sparring with Trunks.

"Come on Goten! I know you're better than that." Trunks was easily able to dodge and avoid Goten's attacks.

"No fair Trunks! I'm not nearly as strong as you are."

"Don't worry Goten. Your father wasn't nearly as strong as you are when he was your age."

"Yeah…but I'm still weaker than Tien."

"Tien's the strongest human in existence. It's only natural that he's very strong."

"But he's not very strong…not by your and Piccolo's standards."

"Relax Goten. You'll catch up and surpass him."

"Will I eventually become a super saiyan like my dad?"

"Um…well you can't say for sure. Only special circumstances can cause a saiyan to become a super saiyan."

"I hope I become a super saiyan some day. Then Gohan will understand that he belongs with us. Vegeta only got lucky, but you and my dad are Earthlings. If a third Earthling super saiyan existed Gohan will realize that he's really an Earthling and doesn't belong in space."

Trunks reached out and put a hand on Goten's shoulder. "Goten…I know it's hard to accept, but your brother's gone. You can't change him back."

Goten violently shrugged the hand off. "No! I won't accept that Trunks! He'll understand…eventually!"

"You don't understand Goten! It's like your father. He was originally like the other saiyans, but he suffered a head injury and became the Goku we know and love. The same thing happened to Gohan, and like Goku, he prefers his knew life. I don't like it either but we have to accept it."

"No! You don't understand Trunks! My dad never had a home with the saiyans! That's why he rejected them!"

Goten started to power up in anger. It was nothing next to Trunks' power at rest, but it created a strong wind and caused a minor Earth shake.

"Mom and dad…raised him for the first five years of his life! He betrayed them…like he betrayed me!"

Goten took off in a huff and left for home.

"Don't worry Trunks," said Bulma as she walked up to him. "He always gets like that when we talk about Gohan."

"Why…we've been through it several times."

"It's probably the hormones kicking in. He's eleven years old, the start of puberty."

"Yeah…that's just great." Trunks was about to go inside when he sensed Yamcha's power level drop. "Oh…no."

Bulma gave him a worried look. "What's wrong Trunks?"

Trunks took off without answering her.

* * *

Dr. Gero felt happy as he entered his laboratory. The androids that followed him inside where now under his control…or so he thought.

'This day has gone well." Dr. Gero walked up to the twins and paced in front of them like a drill sergeant in front of recruits. "You two have shown great improvement since I last activated you. I trust you to keep up the good behavior."

"Yes sir"

Seventeen watched his movements carefully. Dr. Gero turned around, and Seventeen saw his chance. Moving at lightning speed, he snatched the remote from the doctor's hand.

Dr. Gero had a mix of horror, anger, and confusion in his mind as he realized what had just happened. He abruptly turned around and stared at the smirking twins with wide eyes.

"What do you think you're doing Seventeen!"

"I'm just holding onto this remote for you. Wouldn't want you to deactivate us now would we?"

"Grr…Don't you defy me!"

Seventeen grinned broadly, as he crushed the remote. He then started to advance on the doctor."

Dr. Gero took a step back, but stopped when he realized how futile any escape plan would be. "You can't harm me! I made you!"

Seventeen grabbed Dr. Gero's head and ripped it off. The old man would've died if it weren't for the modifications he made to his body. Seventeen threw the head aside.

The dismembered head spoke. "You think this is over, don't you? You'll both pay! He will find you! He will consume you! And then you will both be part of his ultimate perfection!"

Eighteen grinned as she pointed a finger at the head. "Pretty cocky for a dead man."

A beam emerged from the finger and destroyed the head in seconds.

Eighteen turned to her brother and smiled at him. "Let's get out of here bro."

Seventeen nodded and they both walked outside. They were about to fly away, but turned around and blast the lab.

A giant mushroom cloud could be seen for miles as the lab exploded. The debris from the explosion sealed off the lower chamber of the lab.

The two androids laughed as they realized their freedom.

* * *

This chapter was as long as I wanted it to be. I didn't want to bring Seventeen and Eighteen in this early, but I need more interactions to make longer chapters. Also, Gohan won't be on Earth for a while. Finally, to clear things up about how strong Goten is, his power level should be about 8,000. Tien's would be around 10,000.

I have these review questions:

1-Does Goten seem like a troubled individual to you?

2-Did Dr. Gero's words seem ominous(I wanted to make them ominous)?

3-What are your thoughts on the flashback?


	4. The Pressure Builds

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

* * *

Trunks' stared at the ruined island city with a look of horror. _This definitely brings back memories. _

He could hear the cries of the survivors as they tried to find each other in the smoking wreckage. He heard the police sirens as officers tried in vain to bring the situation under control.

Trunks clenched his fists as his rage built, but a weak and familiar power level brought him back to his senses.

He was alive, but barely.

"Don't worry Yamcha! I'm coming!" Trunks flew towards the faint source that continued to grow fainter.

He could barely see in the smoke filled ruins of the city, but his other senses were able to guide him. He blasted his way through collapsed buildings and endured the heat of nearby fires until he saw Yamcha's bleeding shell.

"Oh no! Yamcha!" Trunks ran up to him and turned him over.

His body was wet with blood and he was unconscious. His heartbeat was faint and he was loosing blood by the second.

Trunks knew he had to act fast and pulled out a bag of senzu beans that he kept with him just in case.

"Here ya go Yamcha. I'll make whoever did this pay."

Trunks had to force the senzu bean down Yamcha's throat. He didn't wait for Yamcha to wake up and carried him off to Capsule Corp.

* * *

Juu was bored and decided to watch the news. Current events would definitely be the most interesting thing on TV.

The news report began with an image of a ruined city. The ruined city that Yamcha had nearly died in.

"_There you see the ruins of a once prosperous island city. This city was fine up until a few hours ago, when seemingly out of nowhere explosions started up. Eyewitness reports claim that it was caused by terrorists armed with hand held explosives. Details are sketchy."_

Juu gasped No terrorist could cause that much damage in such short time. It must be them.

A wave of fear crossed over her. What about Trunks and Piccolo? Would they come after her since she's a prime suspect?

_I've got to get out of here! _ Juu rushed upstairs and started packing. Luckily she was so good at deciding what to bring that she was done within twenty minutes.

She rushed back into the room to turn off the TV. The same report was still going on. There had been several eyewitness interviews when she was packing, and the last one was starting now.

She held her breath. She had to know what the people responsible looked like.

"_And what did you see when the terrorists attacked?" asked the reporter to the witness. _

"_I saw two teenagers, one girl and one boy. There was also an old man with them." _

"_Many people say that they saw an old man standing by and giving orders to the other two. What is your opinion on this?"_

"_I think that's a plausible idea. There was a sick old man with his teenage goon squad wreaking havoc on the city."_

Juu swallowed hard as she processed the data. Those descriptions would easily fit her and her brother.

Their counterparts in this time line had finally awakened and the old man was most likely Dr. Gero.

Without a moment to lose she turned off the TV, grabbed her bags, and rushed out the door. She then locked up the house and brought out a car dinocap.

She got in the car with her bags and drove off as fast as she could without drawing too much attention.

* * *

Yamcha groggily opened his eyes. His eyelids were feeling very heavy and his body was aching.

The first thing he saw was Bulma's concerned face.

"You're awake," she said as a smile came to her face.

"Yeah...thought I was a goner."

"You should be more careful you fool."

"Thanks for your concern Bulma."

"You should thank Trunks. He's the one that found you and gave you a senzu bean before bringing you here."

Yamcha then noticed Trunks standing behind Bulma. "Hey Trunks. Thanks for bringing me here."

"No problem Yamcha. You should rest. You're still exhausted in spite of receiving a senzu bean. You were on the verge of death."

"Man, you're telling me? I can barely move at all. Even talking feels strenuous."

Bulma rubbed Yamcha's forehead. "You should rest."

"Before you rest, can you tell me who did that to you?"

"I...I didn't recognize either of them. There were two of them. One did this to me."

Yamcha started panting.

"You have to rest now Yamcha. You can tell more later," said a concerned Bulma.

"No, lives are at stake. H-he has to hear this." Yamcha panted some more before talking again. "Th-they d-didn't...they didn't have any energy...but they were strong...and...emotionless. There eyes...cold...blue...eyes. I-I think they were..." Yamcha couldn't take it anymore. He passed out.

"Rest well Yamcha." Bulma then noticed Trunks leaving. "Where are you going Trunks?"

"I have business to take care of."

Trunks left and flew off without another word.

* * *

"Glacer are you there? Come in Glacer! This is King Vegeta speaking!"

The screen remained hazy. Vegeta finally gave up. He turned to Raditz who was behind him.

"Something is wrong on planet Cold. I haven't been able to contact Glacer at all."

"Do you think it has anything to do with the anarchist groups the galactic alliance has been tracking?"

"I don't know, but Glacer was in favor of peaceful communication across the entire galaxy. Connection being cut off from planet Cold means that he's in trouble."

"Should I go there and check up on him?"

"Yes, but make it a covert mission. Take two space pods and go get Nail from Namek to assist you."

Raditz bowed. "Yes sir."

"Please don't bow to me Raditz. I don't want to rule the way my father did. A simple salute would suffice."

"I understand sir."

Raditz left for the space pod area.

Vegeta turned back to the blank screen. _Glacer, what's happened to you?_

* * *

Trunks landed in front of Juu's house. One could tell that he meant business.

He approached the door as his hair spiked and turned gold. He raised a fist to knock the door down.

"Stop Trunks!"

Trunks looked up at the roof and saw Piccolo. He was standing on top of the roof with his arms crossed.

"Why should I Piccolo."

"There's no point. She's long gone by now."

"How would you know? She's an android. You can't sense her energy."

"I've been monitoring her activities at the house for some time. She left a few hours ago and I don't know where she is."

"That proves that she's guilty. She's obviously afraid of me taking revenge."

"You're not thinking clearly Trunks. She was here when the attack happened. But considering how you would handle the situation it's only natural that she would leave."

"Then...they've finally arrived. The androids of this time line."

"I suspect so. They've dropped below the radar though. How frequently did they attack in your universe?"

"They attacked almost every day. Since the attack happened earlier today I doubt they would attack another city just yet."

"They might have been targeting Yamcha since he was alone. We'll have to check up on the others. You go to Krillin. I'll find Tien and Chaotzu."

Trunks nodded in agreement and blasted off.

* * *

Krillin was training outside when he noticed two shadows hovering over him. He looked up and was surprised to see two teenagers.

"Um...hello up there...can I help you?"

The two smiled and descended onto the sandy beach.

"Um...is there any reason why you two would come here?"

The girl smiled and stepped forward. "You'd better tell us where Goku is, Krillin, or I will kill you."

Krillin was taken aback, but quickly recovered. "It isn't a good idea to challenge one of the strongest men on the planet. You don't what you're up against."

The women started laughing. She then extended her arm and sent a blast into the house; destroying it.

At first Krillin was confused and outraged, but then he got a good look at her and he realized who she was.

"Oh...shit...I'm dead aren't I."

"You might live longer if you tell us where Goku is."

"Goku is dead. I can't give you any information about him or his friend. You will still be destroyed. Trunks and Piccolo will destroy you."

Eighteen took a step forwards. "Now you die."

* * *

Trunks sensed Krillin's power level rise dramatically before plummeting.

"Oh no! They've found Krillin! I've got to hurry!"

He powered up into a super saiyan and increased his speed to maximum.

When he reached the island that once had Kame house he saw a nothing more than a pile of rubble on the island.

"Oh...no! No!" Trunks rushed down to the island and saw an arm sticking out of the rubble. "Krillin!"

He pulled off hundreds of pounds of rubble before he saw Krillin's charred back.

"No...I...I was too late...I failed. I always fail!" Trunks powered up in rage, caused larges waves of water to expand from where he was. The earth shook and there were strong gusts of wind.

* * *

Piccolo arrived at Tien and Chaotzu's house.

Tien as outside cutting firewood and by the smell coming from inside, Piccolo could tell that Chaotzu was cooking.

Tien sensed Piccolo's prescience and looked up with a smile. "Hello Piccolo. I didn't expect a visit from you."

"I have some bad new Tien."

"I should've known. Why else would you be here?"

"There's been some trouble. Trunks and I suspect that the androids have finally arrived."

Tien's eyes widened.

Chaotzu came running outside. "What's going on Tien?"

"Piccolo said that the androids have arrived. But what happened?"

"Yamcha was nearly killed. I you turned on the TV you could see the news coverage of the incident."

"What about Juuhachigou, the android of the alternate universe that killed Goku?"

"She's gone missing, but we know she wasn't responsible for the attack."

"This is bad...do you sense that?"

"I do!" Piccolo's eyes widened. "Krillin is dead! The androids must have got to him!"

"I sense Trunks powering up. He must be fighting them."

"We should all go together. That way they can't peck us off."

"You and Trunks can have dinner at our house after this is over."

"Thanks Chaotzu."

They all took off to meet Trunks. When they arrived at Kame house they saw that Trunks had calmed down.

"What happened Trunks," asked Chaotzu.

"I was too late to save Krillin, but I will never be too late to save any friends again. Master Roshi, Turtle and Oolong weren't here. Tell them to go to Capsule Corp."

"What about you?" asked Piccolo. I'll go to the lookout to see if I can spot them."

* * *

Juu sipped at her up of coffee while reading a fashion magazine. She was overcome by a feeling of dread as she recalled the doctor's last words before she snuffed him out of existence.

"_He will find you. He will eat you, and then you will become part of his ultimate perfection!"_

She still couldn't find meaning in those words. What was he talking about? Who was he talking about. What did all of that mean. Was she in danger from an unknown threat? Was that threat now threatening her counterparts?

Whatever the case, she realized that she had to make an important decision. She could join her counterparts, her family. Or she could help the Z-fighters defeat them and gain their trust.

I decided to get rid of Krillin early on. I want Tien to be a more prominent charecter. Anyway, I have some review questions:

1-What are your thoughts on Juu's current situation and the choices she has to make?

2-How do you feel about Trunks?

3-What are your thoughts on what happened to Glacer(a made up charecter from the other story)? Its significance will become known later.


	5. The Inevitable Choice

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

* * *

Pepper city was a calm place. There were many people in this city. It was the largest and busiest city on the planet and everyone knew it.

As the people continued with their daily lives they looked like ants to the figures floating above them. Ants that they should squash.

"Well brother shall we put some excitement into the lives of those people."

"Definitely sister. They must be bored living the same life over and over again."

They both descended to the depths of the city, landing in the middle of an intersection.

A truck driver was about to cross when he saw two teenagers in the middle of the road. He slammed on the brakes, opened the window and started yelling.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing in the middle of the road?"

They both turned to the clueless driver and smiled at him.

The driver became furious and blared his horn.

"Do you want me to run over you?"

The boy smirked and stepped forward. "Come on old man. Just try it."

The driver snapped and floored the gas pedal. "You want it you got it!" The truck thundered toward the youth, but he stood his ground.

At the last second he thrust his hand forward and stopped the truck in its tracks. A bright glow appeared in that same hand and within seconds the truck as no more.

The girl clapped. "Nicely done Seventeen. Now its my turn." The girl, Eighteen, saw people running from the seen. "We can't have any witnesses now can we?" She blasted each person before they could go another ten feet.

Seventeen laughed. "I've go an idea for a game Eighteen. We each take half the city. First one to destroy their half wins!"

Eighteen smiled. "That's a very nice game. Let's begin."

* * *

Trunks, Tien, Chaotzu, and Piccolo were currently at the lookout.

They all saw a flash of like below as Pepper city was being destroyed.

Trunks clenched his fists and powered up to a super saiyan. "We have to go there. I know its the androids. We have to end this now."

"Trunks wait!" Piccolo's pleas fell on deaf ears as Trunks blasted off to save the doomed city.

Tien gave Piccolo a confused look. "Why should he wait. People are dying down there."

"He's faster than us Tien. I wanted him to slow down so we could all reach Pepper city at the same time."

"I get. That way the androids won't have time to wear one of us down and we can fight them together."

"Yeah, but we have to hurry. He took off without listening. He hasn't recovered from Krillin's death."

Piccolo removed his weighted clothing and took off. Tien lifted off into the sky and turned to Chaotzu.

"You stay here Chaotzu."

"No Tien. I want to fight along side you."

"You're not strong enough Chaotzu. Please understand. I want you to be safe. Besides, Mr. Popo will need you to protect him if the androids come here."

Chaotzu clenched his fists. He felt frustrated about being left behind and not being of any use in a fight, but he trusted Tien's judgment.

"Alright Tien, I'll stay. Just be careful."

Tien smiled and nodded before blasting off to catch up to Piccolo.

* * *

The city's population was nearly exterminated. The smell of rotting corpses and blood everywhere made it seem as if the city itself was dying, There weren't any intact structures. Everything had been destroyed by the androids.

Seventeen and Eighteen observed the carnage with satisfied smiles.

"I think we've done enough here Eighteen. Why don't we go?"

"No Seventeen. My sensors indicate that there are three power level approaching at high speed. One of them is high enough to be Goku's."

Seventeen cracked his knuckles. "I look forward to seeing how strong a super saiyan really is."

"Perhaps its not Goku though. It could be that mysterious lavendered haired super saiyan that fought alongside him against units thirteen through sixteen."

"It doesn't matter who he is though. My sensors indicate that they don't stand a chance against us."

The androids grinned in anticipation as they saw the golden light appear on the horizon, signaling the approach of a super saiyan.

Trunks saw the two androids waiting for him and growled as he observed the destruction they had caused. _Those androids are going down!_

"So it's you Trunks." Eighteen stepped forward. "Why don't we see what you super saiyans are capable of?"

"Fine android! I'll how you exactly what I'm capable of!"

Trunks leaped forward and punched Eighteen in the face. His anger dissolved into fear when he noticed that she never flinched and took no damage. In fact, the punch had hurt him more.

Trunks stepped back with wide eyes.

Eighteen grinned maliciously. "Looks like you're not so tough after all. You might as well just give up and let us kill you."

"You might as well die because I'm going to kill you!"

Trunks drew his sword and tried to slice he neck, but she caught the blade. She then yanked the blade forward, forcing Trunks to stumble, then kneed him in the gut. She the made him eat dirt by bringing her elbow down in his spinal column.

"That was too easy Trunks. I didn't even have to try."

Trunks slowly got up. He was shaking with a mixture of anger, fear and frustration. He took his fighting stance and trembled as he awaited her attack.

"You don't know when to quit," said Eighteen. She then shrugged. "Oh well, more fun for me."

"Hey sis, I want a turn."

"Chill out Seventeen. There are two more on the way, It doesn't matter if you fight Trunks or not. They're all too week to make a difference."

Seventeen sighed and crossed his arms.

Trunks suddenly jumped back. Eighteen's last statement had brought his temper to a boil. He made a series of rapid arm movements and then thrust his arms forward, shouting "Burning attack!"

The blast engulfed both android, who didn't try to dodge.

Trunks panted as he watched the dust cloud settle. He was wary, and knew that the androids could still be alive even though he couldn't sense their power levels.

As the smoke cleared the figures of Seventeen and Eighteen emerged. Both were grinning maliciously.

"Trunks!" Piccolo and Tien landed next to Trunks, and noticed that his power level had decreased significantly. "It was a mistake to rush off like that. We should have arrived and fought together."

"Sorry Piccolo, but I don't know if we can win. These androids are much stronger than the ones in my time line. I can't even hurt them."

"We can if they underestimate us. If they rely on strength alone we can outsmart them."

"Well you we better think of a plan fast," said Tien, "because those two are heading this way."

Piccolo turned to Tien. "Blind the androids with you solar flare. Trunks will use a hit and run strategy; hit them to distract them then retreat to safety. I'll be charging up my special beam canon. If I can score a direct hit we might stand a chance."

They both nodded to Piccolo. Tien moved in front of Trunks and Piccolo.

"Now Tien."

"Solar Flare!"

A flash of light blinded the two androids. They covered their eyes with their forearms.

"Take this!" Trunks started flying around and hitting them with a barrage of small blasts.

Seventeen and Eighteen were confused and disorientated by the solar flare and couldn't tell were the blasts were coming from. They blindly shot blasts at thin air.

Piccolo had them in his sights as he charged energy in two fingers. _This will be my strongest attack yet. Missing is not an option._

Seventeen and Eighteen were lined up in such a way that Piccolo could pierce both their hearts. Whenever they showed signs of recovering Tien with jump in front and use his solar flare. Then Trunks would keep them in one spot by confusing them with multiple energy blasts from all directions.

"This is getting annoying Seventeen I can't see where they are. These blasts are like flies. I would squash them all if I could see them."

"Just hang on Eighteen. They'll run out of juice eventually."

"Time's up androids!" yelled Piccolo confidently. "Special Beam Canon!"

Just as the blast started to leave Piccolo's fingertips a foot met his cheek, causing him to fall to the side.

The beam missed he vital points, but it still hit Eighteen's forearm and Seventeen's shoulder, causing burns.

Seventeen and Eighteen sank to their knees, clutching the wounded areas in pain.

Piccolo looked up in astonishment and saw Juu standing over him with a triumphant smirk.

"You? But why? I thought-"

"You thought I was one of you? I will never be one of you. I would've considered joining Gohan, but I would never abandon my own kind."

Piccolo's eyes widened as Juu fired a blast at him. The namek skidded across the ground a few feet before falling unconscious.

"Piccolo!" An enraged Trunks flew at Juu with the intent to kill.

Juu knew that Trunks was exhausted, and wouldn't last very long against her. She sidestepped his initial attack and thrust her palm at the back of his neck.

Trunks stumbled forward, but recovered quickly. He drew his sword and spun around. However, he ended up slicing air.

"Behind you." Juu fired a medium sized blast at Trunks' face. It was enough to put him out of the fight.

Tien watched with wide eyes as she took down the two strongest warriors on the planet. He wasn't afraid, but he felt betrayed and he felt the urge to tell someone 'I told you so.'

"You...you'll pay for this! Tri Beam!"

Juu grinned and put up a barrier to stop the attack from singeing her clothes. She then phased behind Tien and put him out with a kick to the back.

Juu then walked up to Seventeen and Eighteen. They had seen what she had done, but looked uneasy. Eighteen was especially tense since she had just seen what appeared to be an exact replica of herself.

"Hello Seventeen, Eighteen."

Eighteen tilted her head in curiosity. "Who...are you? You look exactly like me."

"You can call me Juu. I'll explain everything later. Why don't we go find another city and I'll show you two how to really have fun. I'll tell you who I am in the car."

Eighteen put her hands on her hips and gave Juu a strange look. "A car? Why would we take a car when we could all just fly there."

"Cars rides are more fun," said Seventeen.

"Our brother is right on that one," said Juu."

Eighteen raised an eyebrow. "Our brother?"

Juu indicated them to follow and led them to where her car was.

* * *

Mr. Popo felt a chill as he sensed the drop in Piccolo's power.

"Oh...no...they've been..."

"Don't worry Mr. Popo," said Korin as he came up from behind. "Things are not what they seem Mr. Popo. Although it may seem grim, there is still hope."

"Should we get them and bring them here?"

"Yes, and give them the senzu beams that Trunks has in his pocket."

"Yes Korin." Mr. Popo rolled out his magic carpet and hopped on.

"Wait!" Chaotzu came running out. "I'm coming too. I want to help."

"Thank you Chaotzu. I could use your help carrying there bodies back here."

As the carpet descended to the Earth below Korin's mind wasn't at ease. _The Z-fighters are crippled, and I feel a threat greater than the androids looming over the horizon._

Gohan's body was covered in sweat as he trained in the gravity room. He was currently trying to catch his breathe.

After he felt normal, he focused his mind on his final lesson from his teacher, Vegeta.

* * *

Flashback:

_The seventeen year old Gohan stood before Vegeta. Vegeta had been a super saiyan for a few years now, and thought Gohan was worthy to know the secret of ho to become one himself. _

"_Gohan, the key to becoming a super saiyan is to have a very strong emotion. Something so strong that your mind snaps. For me, it was simple. I thought about how I had failed to destroy Frieza and how your father had been the one to surpass him instead of me, and how he et Frieza live instead of finishing him off when he had the chance. The emotion was frustration." _

"_So I have to find a memory that triggers a strong emotional response." _

"_Yes, or you might be able to do it by imagining a possible scenario. I don't know if that method works though." _

"_I see." _

"_This is your last lesson Gohan. You don't need to call me master anymore. Try and become a super saiyan, but know that you don't need to become one to be a great warrior." _

End

Vegeta then went on about the weaknesses of the super saiyan transformation.

Gohan had tried hard, but no memory he had could trigger a strong enough emotional response. The imagined scenario didn't work either."

Gohan was currently focusing on the image of Fasha getting beaten up by Zarbon. His hair started to rise, and his aura resembled that of a flame, but after a few seconds a golden flash erupted from his body and collapsed onto the floor.

Gohan had failed to achieve that transformation again. The memory of Fasha would've been sufficient at the time it was happening, but now that Fasha was safe it didn't seem to work anymore.

Gohan was too tired to get up. He laid belly down on the floor with sweat rolling down his nose. _ Looks like I failed again. I guess I just don;t have to motivation to become a super saiyan._

* * *

I hope I have more reviewers for this chapter. I have some questions

1-What do you think of the strength of Seventeen and Eighteen?

2-Did the value of fighting skill over brute force become apparent in this chapter?

3-How was the scene with Gohan training?

4-What is your opinion on Juu's choice?


	6. Unstoppable Trio

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

* * *

The three cyborgs cruised the road in a red convertible. Seventeen was in the driver's seat with Eighteen sitting next to him and Juu in the back seat.

Eighteen looked bored. She turned to Juu and pouted. "Why do we have to drive to all these cities? I want to blow something up already."

Juu maintained a calm expression. "This is you're first lesson. The longer you wait for something, the better it feels when you finally get it. Just be patient. When I learned this lesson the majority of the world was destroyed and there were barely any people left to torture."

"Hmph." Eighteen crossed her arms and turned back around.

Seventeen chuckled. "Chill out Eighteen. Our big sis said we have to savor the planet, remember, otherwise before we know it all the fun will be gone."

Eighteen sighed. "I guess she has a point there." She then turned back to Juu. "But what do we do in the mean time while we're on our way?"

"We could talk. There are still things that I could tell you and questions we might both have."

Eighteen smiled. "It must feel nice being able to kill again after being at the mercy of those Z-fighters and not having the brother of your time line to help you out."

Juu looked at her feet, a gloomy look crossing her face.

Eighteen's expression didn't soften much. "You must miss him."

"I do...very much..."

Eighteen turned around and smiled. "Well, I certainly wouldn't miss Seventeen if he disappeared."

Seventeen frowned. "Now that's cold Eighteen."

Juu sighed. "Off course you wouldn't miss him. That's what I thought until I was sent here."

"Well, you and I aren't exactly alike."

Juu became quiet. Seventeen was focused on driving and Eighteen just stared out the window. They were almost at the city.

* * *

Mr. Popo and Chaotzu landed near the bodies of the fallen Z-fighters.

Piccolo's eyes flew open the moment their feet touched the ground. "I was wondering when you two would get here."

Mr. Popo's eyes widened. "You're conscious, but how? I felt you power drop to almost zero."

"I don't know why, but Juuhachigou's attack wasn't strong enough to knock me out. She could've made it stronger, but she didn't I think there's more going on then just her joining them. She dispatched all of us and knocked Trunks and Tien out before Seventeen and Eighteen recovered and had a chance to kill them."

"So she didn't want you dead," asked Chaotzu.

"No...but Seventeen and Eighteen had energy scanning devices so I had to conceal my power to mimic death."

"Mr. Popo picked Trunks up. "These two need medical attention. We have to get them back to the lookout."

Chaotzu levitated Tien into the air. "Don't worry Tien. We'll make you better."

The three took off for the lookout.

* * *

Juu and Eighteen entered a clothing store, followed by an annoyed Seventeen.

"Now Eighteen, this is your first lesson. Enjoy a place's benefits before destroying it. Take a look at everything it has to offer, and only destroy it after you've exploited all it has to offer."

Eighteen grinned at the labyrinth of clothes in front of her. "So far I agree with you Juu."

Seventeen grumbled as he followed slowly behind. This would be a long day for him.

* * *

Trunks opened his eyes and sat up. He looked around and saw Korin, Piccolo, Mr. Popo and Chaotzu standing around him. He also saw an unconscious Tien lying next to him.

"Wh-what's going on?"

Piccolo rolled his eyes to look at Trunks. "We have a problem. As you know we are now match for the androids, and Juuhachigou has decided to join them."

Trunks jumped to his feet, clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "I knew it! We can never trust an android like her!"

"There's more to the story Trunks." Trunks looked down at Korin, who had spoken. "We have now idea why, but Juuhachigou made sure none of you died. She knocked you ll out before Seventeen and Eighteen could get back up and kill you. She saved you by pretending to kill you herself."

Trunks gave her skeptical look. "Why would she do that?"

"We don't know," answered an unsettled Piccolo. "However, we do know that we're no match for the three androids, and have no idea where they could be."

"I see." Trunks walked over to the edge of the lookout.

He looked down at the defenseless planet below him. A planet that was now at the mercy of three ruthless androids. "We would've won if Goku had been there. We would've won if she hadn't come here!"

Trunks powered up to his super saiyan state briefly before simmering back to his normal form.

* * *

"Finally, were doing something that I consider fun."

Seventeen reclined in his roller coaster seat that he had to himself. His sisters, Eighteen and Juu, were in the seat behind him.

The ride started and the three of them screamed with joy as it made all sorts of maneuvers along its track.

They came out laughing after the ride had come to a complete stop.

"That was a great suggestion Seventeen. Superworld was more fun than I thought," admitted Juu.

A smile appeared on Seventeen's face. "Thank you Juu."

"For once you've done something right, said Eighteen."

Seventeen crossed his arms as a scowl appeared on his face.

"Hey Juu, why don't we go to the ferris wheel next?"

"Great idea Eighteen. You coming Seventeen?"

"Yeah sure," said Seventeen in a less enthusiastic way.

* * *

Trunks landed in front of Capsule Corp and saw Yamcha doing push ups outside.

"Hey Yamcha, I see that you've recovered."

"Yeah. Those senzu beans are real miracles. Anyhow, how'd the battle against the androids go?"

A dark look appeared on Trunks' face.

Yamcha became concerned. "Is something wrong Trunks?"

"Yeah. We lost...and it was because...because Juuhachigou sided with them instead of us."

"Oh."

Trunks started powering up. "That bitch! First she kills Goku and now she cost us the battle with the androids!"

"Um...Trunks?" Yamcha took a few steps back as Trunks hair spiked and flashed blond.

Bulma came running outside when she felt the earth shake.

"What's happening Yamcha? What's wrong with Trunks?"

"I don't know Bulma. He started thinking about how they lost the battle with th androids, and then snapped."

"I hate her! We would be just fine without her!" Trunks breathed deeply as he powered down.

Yamcha took a step forward and reached out. "T-Trunks?"

"Sorry guys. I guess I got carried away with my anger."

"You must've had a lot of anger building inside of you," said Bulma. "I had to come out some time."

"Yeah...but anger isn't going to solve our problem. We have to find a way to take those androids down, and that won't be easy. A strong piercing attack like a Special Beam Cannon could kill them if someone like Piccolo or me uses it and provided that we hit them in a vital point. Other than that, I don't know. I can't even make them flinch, and I'm supposed to be Earth's strongest protector now."

Bulma walked up to Trunks and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry Trunks, we'll figure something out."

"I hope so." Trunks followed Bulma and Yamcha inside.

* * *

_The Gohan floated in the middle of pinkish, purplish space. It seemed like he was in a mix of outer space and the upper atmosphere. There were clouds everywhere, and galaxies were in the distance. _

_Every sense in his body was perfectly content. The temperature was perfect; not too hot, and not too cold. He smelled a sweat aroma that wasn't overwhelming, but enjoyable. There was not sound, but he liked it better that way, and he enjoyed looking at the scenery as he floated, still and calm. _

_Gohan then realized that he was naked, but he didn't care. _

"_Gohan..."_

_Gohan looked around for the source of the familiar voice. It was feminine, but that was all he knew._

"_Gohan..."_

_The voice sounded closer this time. He could tell that she was coming closer._

"_I'm waiting Gohan..."_

_A naked figure appeared before Gohan. She floated above him, and her shoulder length blond hair dangled only an inch above his chest. _

"_J-Juu?"_

_She smiled down at him and her eyes showed only the purest love. "I've been waiting a long time for you Gohan." _

_Gohan looked over her figure, admiring every inch of her._

"_Are you ready Gohan?" _

_Gohan started breathing erratically, waiting in anticipation as she lowered her body. Just as their lips were about to meet..._

Gohan sat bolt upright in bed. He was panting and sweat covered his body. "It was...just a dream..."

* * *

People ran running and screaming as fire broke out throughout the city.

"It's finally arrived folks! The grand finale of our time here!" Seventeen was having a field day as he blasted people left and right.

"Oh shut up Seventeen," said Eighteen. "You sound really stupid when you yell like that. It's embarrassing."

Eighteen flew passed a pissed off Seventeen to pursue the remaining people.

Juu landed next to Seventeen and patted his shoulder. "I missed your enthusiasm Seventeen. I'm sure she didn't mean what she said."

Seventeen sighed. "Maybe...but she hasn't been through what you have. She probably takes me for granted."

"Come on. I'm sure you wouldn't want Eighteen to kill everyone before you got there."

"What about you? You haven't killed anyone yet. Eighteen hasn't noticed, but I have."

"Why don't we keep that between ourselves Seventeen?"

Seventeen raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with telling her?"

"I just don't want to take away from what you two kill. I'm perfectly fine just watching you two go for it. I just don't want her to think I'm too soft though."

Seventeen shrugged. "Whatever, I'm going now. Thanks Juu." Seventeen took off to join Eighteen.

Juu looked at the sky when she saw the cost was clear. _Why Gohan? Why weren't you here earlier?_

* * *

Back in Dr. Gero's laboratory, in an underground chamber, a lone cylindrical tank stood out of the ground. Below it was a super computer that guided the growth of the creature inside.

The larva was now so large that there was barely enough space for it, even when it was curled up. As it floated there a message started playing

_My name is Dr. Gero. I am your creator. Listen carefully, you are the ultimate being, you have flowing through your veins the blood of the strongest in the universe. There is no excuse for you loosing. You are perfect. _

Then it's eyes shot open and the glass shattered. The larva fell to the ground and rested there. As it rested it continued to listen to the remainder of the message.

_Find Seventeen and Eighteen and fulfill you destiny. I know you will make me proud...Cell._

The larva started crawling out of the underground chamber. It new what it had to do.

* * *

As they left the city Seventeen and Eighteen felt a chill run down their spines. Dr. Gero's last words played back in their heads.

"_He will find you! He will consume you! And then you will both be part of his ultimate perfection!" _

"Something wrong Eighteen," asked Juu.

"I'm...fine Juu."

Eighteen never wanted to be caught showing fear in front of Juu, but Dr. Gero's words were starting to affect her.

One thought ran through both the twins minds. _What did he mean when he said that?_

The car was headed towards another city, and the twins put such thoughts at the back of their minds.

* * *

Goten landed in the middle of the ruined city. He looked around with horror written all over his face.

"Oh...no...what've they done?"

"H-Help me..."

Goten saw a man struggling to free himself from the rubble. He ran up to the man and started to pull him out.

"Don't worry sir. It's alright now."

"I'm not so sure about that kid. I don't have m-much t-time..." The man closed hi eyes and died right before Goten's eyes.

Goten's eyes widened. This was the first time he had ever witnessed someone die.

He clenched hi fists and screamed to the heavens. Tears were rolling down his cheeks. He then collapsed onto the ground.

_It's no use dad. I can't be as strong as you or Gohan. I can't do anything to stop that androids. _

Trunks landed behind Goten. "Come on Goten. It's best that we leave right now. There's nothing more we can do here."

"You're right Trunks."

Goten and Trunks left the area.

* * *

Raditz landed his two space pods on planet Namek. When he stepped out of one of the pods he noticed that the Namekians had gathered around him.

"Hello Raditz, said the new Namekian elder. It is an unexpected pleasure to have you visit us."

"Thank you sir, but I'm afraid this visit will be a short one. I have some disturbing news. I brought the second space pod in the hope that Nail would accompany me on this mission."

The elders expression became serious. "Very well. Come, tell me what happened. I'm sure Nail would be happy to assist you."

* * *

I hope you liked this chapter. There wsn't supposed to be much action in it. I have some review questions, and I hope there will be more reviews for this chapter:

1-What is your opinion on Seventeen's relationship to Juu compared with his relationship to Eighteen?

2-What are your thoughts on the dream sequence?

3-What are your thoughts about Dr. Gero's last words?


	7. The Savior Emerges

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

* * *

A medium sized space ship stealthily entered the Earth's atmosphere. It slowed itself down as it approached the ground.

On board, Gohan directed the ship to where Juu's house was. He had been able to hack into the Earth's Internet from space and had been able to locate her based on her description. She was unmistakable.

When the ship landed in a nearby meadow he quickly compacted it into a small disk-like structure; a similar to what Capsule Corp. made. He then looked around to make sure nobody was watching.

Gohan's outfit was significantly different from any saiyan armor before. It was all black and was made of a strong, light, yet flexible fiber that provided just as much protection as any other armor, but was more stylish and comfortable. (To help you visualize it, Imagine Anakin Skywalker's outfit in Star wars episode 3).

After night had fallen, he entered the city where Juu had been living and found her home address.

Upon entering breaking into the house he saw that she had packed most of her things, though there were a few articles of clothing left behind.

_I see, so she bailed out for some reason. I wonder why though. _He then realized that there would be only one way for him to track her down.

He picked up one of the articles of clothing and sniffed it. He then sniffed the air and started following an invisible trail out of the house. He ran covertly, but at a high speed so as to catch up to her.

_No doubt those Z-fighters forced her out of her home. I should've offered to let her stay with us…I should've told her back when I had the chance. _

Shaking his head from such thoughts he continued on his way.

* * *

Seventeen, Eighteen, and Juu were riding in their car towards the next town.

Eighteen became bored. "Hey Juu, mind if I turn on the news of the TV we just installed?"

"What o you mean we sis," said an annoyed Seventeen. "I did all the hard and complicated work."

"Yeah, whatever. Why don't we check to see if we've made any headlines?"

"Sure, why not," said Juu nonchalantly.

Eighteen turned the news channel on. The news story was in progress already.

News:

"_Nobody knows what happened here in Ginger town. It appears that everyone's clothes have been sucked out as they attempted to flee their unknown assailant." _

_The cameraman turned the camera around, showing them the clothing that ay scattered around the city._

End

"I wonder what that was," said Juu.

"Probably just a hoax," said Seventeen. "Those news guys probably haven't had a scoop in a while."

Eighteen felt a sudden wave of fear rush through her as she recalled Dr. Gero's last words.

_He will find you. He will eat you. Then you will be part of his ultimate perfection._

"Eighteen…Eighteen?"

Eighteen snapped out of her trance when she saw Juu's hand waving in front of her.

"I'm fine Juu."

Juu wasn't fooled. She knew herself well, and could see through Eighteen's tough façade. She was worried about something,

"You can't fool me Eighteen. I know you. You're definitely concerned about something."

"Its…Dr. Gero's last words before I killed him."

Juu thought for a moment before reciting similar words. "He will find you, he will eat you, and then you will be part of his perfection…or something like that. Am I right?"

Eighteen's eyes widened. "How did you know?"

"He said the same things to me and Junannagou in my timeline. That prophecy had yet to be fulfilled so I was never worried."

Seventeen smirked. "Don't worry Eighteen. The three of us are unstoppable. Even if Dr. Gero meant something, we can handle it."

Eighteen sighed. "I guess so."

* * *

Gohan ran through a city, noting all the devastation he saw. He would have to talk to Juu about how that devastation occurred.

The scent grew stronger and stronger as he closed in behind her. He knew he would meet up with Juu in a matter of hours.

He saw a group of survivors and decided to question them about what happened.

He landed some distance away and slowly approached the group.

"Excuse me, but could any of you tell me who caused all this. I just got here."

An old man among the group spoke. "Th-they came out of nowhere…three of them."

"Them? Could you describe them for me?"

"Sure. Two of them looked like identical twins. They had blond hair and blues eyes. Those two were girls. The other was a boy who looked similar, but with black hair."

"I see. Well thanks for the information." Gohan turned around and started walking away.

"Wait," said the old man. "What exactly do you plan on doing?"

"I will put a stop to them. Don't any of you worry, I will stop them."

With that said, Gohan ran off after the androids. A look of betrayal in his eyes.

_Juu…how could you? _

Meanwhile, the three androids arrived at the next city. This city was famous for its museums.

* * *

"Aw man! Why the hell are we going to a museum?" Seventeen had his arms crossed with an annoyed look on his face.

"I'm inclined to agree with him Juu. What's so fun about a museum?"

"You know, I thought exactly the same thing until I visited a museum. It's more interesting than I thought."

"Did I find it fun?" asked Seventeen.

Juu decided not to answer that question.

Eighteen noticed this and snickered as she followed Juu inside.

Seventeen mumbled something to himself as he followed behind them.

Eighteen stared in wonder at the size of the dinosaur bones.

"They're much bigger than the dinosaurs of today."

"I know. I had no idea T. Rex used to get that big."

"Yeah, and the Apatosaurus actually became extinct just over a decade ago. I always wondered why we couldn't see anymore of them."

_They really are the same_, thought Seventeen as he watched them from a distance with a scowl.

Seventeen then noticed an exhibit that interested him. It was a cowboy exhibit that had a rack of old guns.

"Now this is an exhibit."

"I see you found the kid's section Seventeen," said Eighteen.

Seventeen ignored his sister's comment as he marveled at all the guns.

"Listen up, when we destroy the city I want to raid this place."

Juu raised an eyebrow. "Why would you want to raid a museum?"

"You two have your fashion, and I have my guns. It's only fair."

Juu grinned maliciously. "You know, Junannagou used to destroy shopping malls every chance he got."

Seventeen sensed her line of reasoning. "Hey, don't pin that guy's actions on me. I'm a different guy. I won't necessarily do what he did."

Juu shrugged. "Sure, I guess we could let you off with a warning."

Eighteen smirked. "Yeah, so don't go destroying any clothing stores."

Seventeen nodded. He was okay with Juu's lecturing, but hated it when Eighteen added something on.

"Hey Juu, I'm hungry," said Seventeen.

"I could use a bite too," said Eighteen.

Juu nodded. "You two go on and eat at the museum Café. I'll be checking out the art gallery some more before joining you."

They both nodded and went off. When they were gone, Juu heard a familiar voice.

"Having fun Juu?"

Her heart seemed to stop briefly as she registered who it was.

"Why are you here…how did you find us?"

"I came here for a visit. I wanted to check up on you. As for how I found you, I used basic saiyan tracking methods"

Juu nodded and watched as the figure stepped out of the shadows. "What are you going to do now Gohan?"

"I'm going to try and stop you three. I will not allow another tyrant to emerge."

"B-but…Seventeen and Eighteen are too strong. You have no idea how powerful they are. You'll be killed Gohan."

"I'll take my chances." Gohan took a step towards her.

As he continued to advance Juu found herself unable to move. As he moved his hand towards her she raised her arm instinctively in defense.

Gohan grabbed the arm and held it to the side. He used his free arm to pin her other arm behind her back.

Juu gazed into his eyes, searching for answers. His gaze was fixed on her, as if he intended to do something. She found herself breathless at the sight of those beautiful black eyes.

"What are you going to do?" Her voice was timid and weak. His gaze seemed to drain her power.

"Something I should've done a long time ago."

He slowly leaned forward and captured her in a deep kiss. Juu found herself unable to resist him.

The kiss lasted two full minutes. When Gohan broke he saw sadness in her eyes. Letting go of her, he stroked her cheek.

"What's wrong?"

Juu turned away, stepping back from him. She was too ashamed of herself to look. "We can't do this Gohan."

"So that's your answer…you've chosen them."

"I'm sorry…I'm just really confused right now." She turned away from him and started to walk towards the café where Seventeen and Eighteen were.

"I thought you had changed Juu."

She could here the pain and disappointment in his voice. She knew she had failed him. He spared her life, and now all the evil things that she had allowed or helped happen were weighing on his shoulders.

Gohan felt a tear slide down his cheek as he watched her leave. Wiping it away, he now realized how much he wanted her. He only realized it after he had lost her.

Gohan clenched his fists and started trembling with anger. "I swear Juu…I will save you from them."

He knew she was afraid. She seemed like she was getting along with them, but when she warned him about their strength he could see the underlying fear in her eyes. She was afraid to cross them.

* * *

Trunks stared at the sky as if searching for something. He was currently outside the Capsule Corp. grounds.

"Hey Trunks, what's wrong." Yamcha walked up behind him.

"Hey Yamcha. I'm sensing a familiar power level, thought it's too well masked for me to know whom it is.

Yamcha closed his eyes and tried to feel for it as well. His eyes widened as he opened them. "Whoever it is, has a power level greater than any human. What of…what if it's Goku?"

"If it is Goku I wonder why he hasn't come here to us. Wouldn't he want to let us know that he's okay?"

"I guess you're right."

"In any case, we're in no position to go wandering out there. The androids are too powerful for us."

Yamcha nodded in agreement.

* * *

On Namek, Raditz and Nail were about to leave for planet Cold.

"So what do you think is going on?" asked Nail.

"I don't know, but this can't be good. Although there is one prime suspect."

"A suspect, who?"

"Cooler. He's Frieza's older brother. We have yet to confirm his whereabouts. I'm sure he would be unhappy about the changes on his home planet."

"In that case, I think this should be a scouting mission instead of a search and rescue. The two of us lack the power necessary to take down a member of the Changeling's royal family."

"I couldn't agree more. We'll send our report to Vegeta when we know what we're up against."

With that, the two warriors entered their space pods and took off for planet cold.

Meanwhile, on an unknown planet there was a meeting in a dark room.

"Why are we still hiding in the shadows Doctor? Shouldn't we be attacking now while Gohan is on Earth?"

"Be patient Paragus. Our time will come soon enough. We haven't completed the mobile suits that your lizard men will be piloting."

"He's right Paragus," replied another voice. "I understand how you want revenge on the saiyans. I want revenge on the Namekians. We'll just have to wait a while. We can afford to be patient."

Paragus reclined back in his chair.

The being at the head of the table, the one who was addressed as the doctor, turned on the monitor. The four pairs of eyes in the room all turned to the main monitor.

"Hello doctor, good to hear from you."

"I trust you've regained control of your home planet then."

"Yes, and thank you for giving me this second chance at life. Phase one is now complete."

Excellent," replied the doctor. "Once the mobile suits are ready we can begin phase two. Just maintain control until then and keep as low a profile as possible."

"Understood." The conversation ended as the monitor went blank.

* * *

I know its been a while since I update. Anyway, I have some review questions:

1-What did you think of Eighteen's fear?

2-What are your thoughts on what's going on in space? Particularly with the last scene.

3-How was Gohan's reunion with Juu to you?


	8. Deception

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

* * *

Juu had been on edge since her encounter with Gohan. She was able to hide her mental state from Eighteen, though Seventeen seemed a little more perceptive than she thought.

She knew that wasn't the last she'd see Gohan. He would come and try to stop them when they finally got around to destroying the city.

She was currently sitting at the edge of the roof of the hotel they had decided to spend the night at. They wouldn't need to pay to check out since they would be destroying the city in the morning anyway.

As she stared out at the city around her, she thought, or wished that somewhere, Gohan was staring back at her. One last look before it all went to hell.

"Hey sis. Something wrong?"

Juu turned around and saw Seventeen coming up behind her. He stood next to her and gazed out at the city as well.

There was silence for what seemed like a very long time to Juu before Seventeen spoke up.

"I know you didn't just come here to admire the view. Something happened, and now you're worried about it." His voice was completely serious, and showed brotherly concern, something her other brother had expressed to her on rare occasions.

Juu would not allow herself to falter in front of him. "Nothing's wrong. Everything's just fine."

Seventeen narrowed his eyes. "I'm not as dumb as I look. Eighteen didn't notice, but I did. You changed when you joined us in the museum café to eat. Something happened when you were alone somewhere in the museum, and it shook you to the core."

"It's nothing you need to be concerned about Seventeen. Stop worrying, I'll be fine."

Seventeen shrugged. "Fair enough. I won't make you tell me if you don't want to. I also won't tell Eighteen about anything."

"Thank you brother."

"For what? Not prying, or keeping this from Eighteen?"

"Both."

"No problem Juu, you've treated me nicely, unlike Eighteen." With that, Seventeen walked back into the hotel, leaving Juu alone on the rooftop. _Eighteen doesn't understand how hurtful her words can be._

* * *

News broadcast:

_A women with purple hair and green eyes spoke into a microphone on ZTV news. _

"_Reports have come in from several cities about a ruthless group of thugs wreaking havoc and decimating the population. Details on appearances are sketchy as the few who survived barely had a chance to looked at their attackers before they ran or hid."_

_The image on the screen then changed to show a ruined city, one of many that now scarred the Earth. _

"This is horrible," said Bulma. "Someone has to stop those three."

"I wish Goku were here," said Yamcha. "He would've beaten them long ago."

Bulma became agitated. "What's wrong with you? You guys all act tough, but when things like this happen, its always Goku this or Goku that! He's strong, but you can't always rely on him to bail you out of trouble!"

"We can win," said Trunks. "We just need to come up with a better plan. Piccolo's older plan only nearly won, but it only accounted for two androids, and now there are three and I doubt the same strategy will work twice on them."

"What's Piccolo doing now?" asked Yamcha.

"He's meditating on top of the lookout," said Trunks. "He's going through every possible scenario in his mind in order to find the best plan of attack." Trunks sighed and leaned back in his chair. "All we can do now is wait."

"That stinks," said Bulma. "This is just like the future you wanted to prevent. A future where all we could do was run and hide from the androids until a way to defeat them surfaced."

"Yeah," replied Trunks. "I hate it, but I'm not going to wishfully imagine a world where Goku was with us and helped us win anymore. I know we can win without him."

"That's the spirit," replied Bulma. She then turned to Yamcha with a smirk. "You could learn a thing or two from the kid."

Yamcha pouted. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Bulma laughed and ruffled Yamcha's hair affectionately.

Trunks stood up and went to the door. "I'll be training outside. I need to be ready for the next battle."

* * *

It was morning, and Gohan saw a large explosion in the center of the city. He was currently on top of one of the skyscrapers, safely away from where the androids started their attack.

"Looks like it's time Juu. I hope you're ready cause I'm not holding back."

As he listened to the cries of the dying people a tear slid down his left cheek. He didn't bother to wipe it away. He wanted her to know the depth of her betrayal.

After standing up and stretching, he took off towards the location of the blast.

* * *

The earth ran red with blood at the sight of their most recent attack. Seventeen and Eighteen' skills had improved at a frightening pace.

A beam shot from Eighteen's index finger, piercing the heart of a child that was a hundred meters away. She whirled around and sent a palm blast that destroyed a fleeing bus and all that were inside.

"That makes fifty for me. Are you keeping up Seventeen?"

"As if." Seventeen grabbed a man with his left arm and formed a blade of energy with his right arm. A maniacal grin formed on his face as he slit the man's jugular, dropping him to the ground and watching him bleed to death. "I'd rather be more personal when I kill people Eighteen. I'm only at nineteen, yet I've enjoyed their deaths to the fullest."

Eighteen chuckled. "My my, only nineteen? I honestly never expected you to be this bad at killing."

"I'm not bad at killing Eighteen. I just know how to savor each individual death. It's more efficient and gives the humans a chance to multiply, ensuring future enjoyment."

"Whatever, I think you're just making excuses for your poor performance." Eighteen turned to a group of children huddling behind a collapsed wall. They hoped that the androids wouldn't see them, but their luck had run out.

"Time to die kids." Eighteen's index finger started to glow.

Juu was amazed at the striking difference between her and Eighteen. She was so much weaker and was lacked the energy sensors that Seventeen and Eighteen had. But the biggest difference was the appreciation they had for their brother. Juu never put Junannagou down as much Eighteen did Seventeen.

It made her sad. Their brother wouldn't get the acknowledgement he deserved from the person that mattered most to him. Not her, but the sister he experienced those childhood hardships with.

As she turned her attention to the kids, who Eighteen was about to kill, she had this strange feeling. The scared children reminded her of her childhood with her brother. Could this be empathy?

Time seemed to slow down as a blast erupted from Eighteen's index finger. It would kill every last child, even if they bolted into a run, they would all end up dead.

Then, a figure appeared between the wreckage concealing the children, and the blast. He swatted the blast away without breaking his gaze with Eighteen.

"Funny, I thought you looked exactly like Juu, but there's something different in your face. You look more evil." Gohan then turned to the children. "Go on, run away from here. I'll keep the androids busy."

The children obeyed and ran away at top speed.

Eighteen didn't bother chasing after them. She was more interested in the young man that now stood before her. "Who are you?"

"I am Gohan. I am the first born of Kakarot, aka Goku."

Eighteens eyes widened. "You're Goku's first son, but I thought that Raditz took you away to live with the other saiyans. What brings you back here?"

"I came here to stop you. I will not allow another individual to spread fear and terror the way Frieza did."

Seventeen shifted his attention from Gohan to Juu. _Those two know each other. He mentioned Juu's name…could he be the reason Juu was distressed? _

Seventeen studied Juu's face. She looked like she was in a daze. Her eyes locked on Gohan, as if he were the only thing in existence.

Seventeen narrowed his eyes. _I'll have to talk to her about him later._

Eighteen smirked as she sensed Gohan's energy. "You're nothing special. My data indicates that you're not much stronger than Trunks, though I'm impressed that you got so strong without becoming a super saiyan."

Gohan smirked. "I appreciate the compliment." He then looked over at Juu. "What's wrong Juu, we haven't spoken for so long and yet you don't have anything to say to me?"

All eyes were now on Juu.

"You know him Juu," asked Eighteen in a surprised tone.

"I…Yes. I teamed up with him about a year ago…that was after I killed Goku and went into space."

Seventeen raised an eyebrow. "I know you killed Goku, but you neglected to tell us about your little space adventure."

Eighteen looked at Gohan, and then smirked back at Juu. "Well Juu, he is quite a looker."

Juu raised an eyebrow. "Are you implying something?"

Eighteen smiled innocently and put her arms up in defense. "No, just saying. In any case, he's going down. My scanners indicate that I should be able to deal with him easily."

Eighteen turned around and started to approach Gohan. Juu breathed heavily as she saw the killer intent inside of Eighteen. Gohan would die if she didn't do anything.

Gohan focused back on Eighteen. "So this is how it's going to be." He took his fighting stance.

Eighteen took her stance as well. "This is how it must be. I cannot forgive you for interrupting our fun."

"Wait!"

Gohan, Seventeen and Eighteen looked back at Juu with surprised expressions.

"I-It would be better if the if I fought him."

Eighteen raised an eyebrow. _Juu's been acting weird ever since this guy showed up. I wonder what has her on edge. If she's really concerned about his abilities she should let me handle this._

Seventeen gave Juu a look of concern. "Why would it be better for you to fight him?"

"I fought him before…briefly. I've also fought along side him and seen his fighting style. I'm the most prepared to face him."

"But Seventeen and I are both stronger than you," said Eighteen, "and my sensors indicate that he's too strong for you."

"You've got more to worry about than power when fighting Gohan. He's very skilled and has many tricks up his sleeve. I wasn't able to teach you everything I learned from watching him, so it's better if I fight."

Seventeen shrugged. "Juu knows how to handle herself Eighteen. Gohan is stronger, but not overwhelmingly so. We can always switch out if things get really bad."

Eighteen sighed in defeat. "Fine by me. Although I do wish I had a piece of him as well."

Juu walked past Seventeen and Eighteen and took her fighting stance in front of Gohan. "Are you ready Gohan?"

Gohan took his stance and smirked. "Let's dance."

The two suddenly vanished and shockwaves erupted in the sky as their blows collided. Both were very skilled fighters, and were easily able to dodge their opponent's blows and spot the correct moment to counter.

The battle appeared to be a stalemate as neither fighter had landed a blow on the other. After five minutes of fighting, they landed back where they had started.

"I'm impressed Juu," said Gohan. "You haven't lost your touch. That was a good warm-up, but play time's over."

"It isn't a good idea to have play time with an android," said Juu with a smirk. "You need to conserve your energy."

Juu fazed behind Gohan and tried to roundhouse kick his back, but Gohan ducked and spun around like a break-dancer to face Juu. He caught her outstretched leg, and thrust his right leg forward, letting go of her leg as he tripped her.

As she fell back, Juu recovered by turning the fall into a back flip and they were back to square one.

"I've never seen Juu fight like this before," said Eighteen in a tone that showed she was impressed, "though it would go faster if she just let me handle this."

"Big Bang Attack!" Gohan's blast shot at Juu head on.

Juu easily dodged by jumping over it. "I'm disappointed Gohan. You know direct-"

"That was a diversion Juu," said Gohan as he appeared behind her and grabbed her in a full nelson.

_This looks bad_, thought Seventeen. _Maybe we should jump in now._

Gohan held Juu close enough to whisper to her.

"I know you're not fighting at your best Juu. That's why I'm holding back as well."

"I don't know what you're talking about," whispered Juu.

"I think you do. You don't seem like you're trying to kill me. I want to know why."

"I don't want to kill you. Please let me win this fight. That way, they won't kill you. I'll just pretend to kill you."

"And why should I let the androids get away?"

"Just trust me Gohan. I'll figure something out."

"Trust you? After you went behind my back and started killing people again?"

"For your information I haven't killed anyone. They've done all the killing."

"Yes, but all you do is watch and encourage them."

"My method will allow more humans to survive. I can't stop them, but I can limit their damage."

Gohan was inclined to believe her…he wanted to believe her. Though the sensible part of him cautioned against it.

"Gohan…I don't want you to die. If you must fight, then come back when you can actually win."

"I still have my tail."

"What if they cut it off?"

Gohan paused and didn't say anything.

"Please…just give me more time…Gohan"

Gohan sighed in an aggravated way. "Fine Juu, but we'll have to make this convincing."

Seventeen and Eighteen were on the verge of jumping in when Juu swung her hips forward, then thrust her feet back into Gohan's gut.

Gohan let go of Juu and clutched his waist as if her were in pain. His energy control allowed him to trick Seventeen and Eighteen's sensors.

"He's weakening," said Eighteen. "I knew he couldn't keep up that pace for long."

"Alright sis!" Seventeen was jumping up and down as he cheered Juu on.

Juu grabbed Gohan's leg and swung him around several times before letting him crash into a run down building. She then bombarded the building with a barrage of powerful energy blasts.

"I sense Gohan's power dropping rapidly," said Eighteen. "He's dying."

After a few more minutes, Gohan had lowered his power to the point where the androids could no longer detect it.

Juu stopped her assault and turned to the other two. "That should do it. I think we should go to the next city. The battle would've scared everyone off."

Eighteen nodded in agreement. "I'm glad he's dead. Let's go."

When the three androids had left the area, Gohan began to stir. With a strong burst of energy he pushed off all the rubble and wreckage that had pilled on top of him, courtesy of Juu.

His keen eyesight spotted the android's car moving into the distance, towards the next target. "I hope you know what you're doing Juu."

Has he stared after them, he was completely unaware of the fact that by blasting his way out, he had caused a dust cloud to form, a dust cloud that attracted the attention of a pair of reptilian eyes.

* * *

It took me longer than I wanted, but I was able to update within the month. Here are some review questions:

1-Did this chapter highlight the differences between Seventeen and Eighteen?(In my opinion, it was Eighteen that was the most evil of the two)

2-Does Eighteen seem like the main villain in this situation(ignoring Cell for the moment)?

3-What are your thoughts on how this turned out?


	9. The Monster Appears

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

* * *

Bulma watched the news report with interest. She had never seen anything like this before.

News Broadcast:

_The male reporter stood facing the camera with an abandoned, but otherwise intact town behind him. _

"_As the band of lunatics continue to blow up one city after another, a more silent threat lurks among us." _

_The reporter moved out of the view to reveal the clothes that were strewn around the streets. _

"_The people here were whisked away by an unknown assassin. By the looks of things, they were sucked out of their clothing. As of yet, nobody has any explanation of what happened."_

"What are you watching?" asked Trunks as he walked in.

"A news broadcast." Bulma pointed at the TV. "I have no idea what's going on, but there seems to be another threat out there."

Trunks stared at the images of scattered clothes with a dumbfounded expression. "It's like nothing I've ever seen before."

"I have a bad feeling about this," said Bulma.

"Yeah, but I think the androids should remain our number one priority."

"I know Trunks, but don't you think you should check this out. The androids can wait until Piccolo comes up with a plan. You are a super saiyan, I'm sure you can handle whatever that thing is."

"Yeah…I'm sure I can…but I have no idea where it could be."

"Maybe if you go to the area where the attacks happened you could find some clues."

"Sure, I'll do that-" Trunks stopped mid sentence as he received a mental message from Piccolo.

"_Trunks, get to the lookout fast. I have some bad news."_

Bulma blinked in confusion. "Trunks?"

"Piccolo just contacted me telepathically. He said its bad news. I'll have to go there first."

Trunks left the room and took off for the lookout. When he got there he saw Piccolo, Tien, Chaotzu, Yamcha, and Korin waiting for him.

"Good, you're here," said Piccolo. "Now you all know why I called you here. I've detected two anomalies within the past day."

"Two?" asked Trunks in a worried tone.

"That's right, and they're both stronger than any of us."

The other Z-fighters' eyes widened.

Piccolo continued normally. "One of them feels familiar…it's just a hunch, but it might be Gohan. I have no idea why he would be here."

"I'll bet he came to check on that android chick," said Yamcha, "but does he pose a threat to us?"

"He could if he wanted to, though he's only slightly stronger than Trunks. We could defeat him together." Piccolo's face then became grim. "The other anomaly is far stronger though. I have no idea who or what it is, but I do know that deaths occur whenever I sense it."

"When you say much stronger," said Tien, "how much do you mean? Can we beat it?"

"No…or not based on our strength. My estimates put it above the level of the androids…far above."

A look of fear appeared on Trunks' face as he put the pieces together. _The news broadcast…that creature that sucked people out of their clothes…if I had gone there, I would've died if it were still there._

"I'm afraid it gets worse," said Piccolo. "From what I sense, the creature grows stronger every time it kills someone, and then it disappears, meaning that it's good at concealing its power. I have no idea where it'll pop up next."

"So do you have a plan?" asked Chaotzu.

"No. This was just to give all of you the heads up."

"Thanks Piccolo. I guess we'll be leaving now," said Tien.

Tien and Chaotzu descended towards their home. Yamcha and Trunks made heir way to Capsule Corp. soon after.

* * *

The androids also saw that same news report as they stayed in a hotel room in their latest city.

"That's…creepy," said Eighteen. "I hope we run into whoever's cutting in on our action."

"Maybe it's some kind of alien," suggested Seventeen.

"Must be a damn smart one," said Eighteen. "My sensors never pick up any significant power."

"Our sensors aren't built for long range, we can only sense things within the immediate vicinity," said Seventeen.

"I know that," said Eighteen in an annoyed tone, but some of the attacks are within our sensory rage."

"In any case," said Juu, "we can't do anything about it at the moment. We'll just have to wait until we eventually cross paths with whatever it is."

"By the way," said Eighteen. "You never got around to telling us about your space adventure. I'd like to know more about it."

Juu was worried about where this conversation might lead, but pushed those thoughts to the back of her head.

"After I killed Goku, I realized that I couldn't beat all the other z-fighters, so I fled the Earth by stealing one of Capsule Corp's space ships. I then ended up crashing on a planet, and ran into Gohan. We had a battle, and then Vegeta showed up. Apparently, Frieza and his father had been planning on invading the Earth to get revenge on Goku. Vegeta killed Frieza, but I slowed Gohan down and prevented him from killing Frieza's dad, King Cold."

"Hold on a sec," said Seventeen. "My data says that Goku killed Frieza, after he became a super saiyan."

"That's actually incorrect. I don't know how, but Frieza was able to receive medical attention and lived, though his plans for revenge were cut short by the last saiyans."

"So how many saiyans are still alive now," asked Eighteen.

"There are actually a few hundred, there were more survivors than previously thought. Though they are technically still an endangered species."

Juu continued telling her story, conveniently leaving out some of her more intimate or embarrassing moments with Gohan. Though when she finished the question she had been dreading finally came up.

"What was Gohan to you," asked Eighteen.

Juu didn't know how to put it; she found it hard to lie when it came to Gohan. She could never equate him to any of the z-fighters. He had always seemed special to her.

"What's wrong Juu?" asked Eighteen. "I mean was he a friend, like a brother?" Eighteen then smirked. "Was he a lover?"

Juu took a deep breath. "He did remind me of my brother, Junannagou, sometimes, though I probably only stayed with him to fill the void. He was a good friend, though I probably don't need him anymore…I have you two."

"Wow Juu," said Eighteen. "I respect you now more than ever, I never thought you could be so manipulative, leading him on as if he were your friend and then throwing him out. I almost feel sorry for him."

Juu knew that she didn't mean that last part, however she noticed Seventeen in deep thought. He was far more perceptive than his sister when it came to her. Could he have seen through the lie she just fed them?

Juu decided to change the subject to avoid further trouble. "Why don't we go out for ice cream?"

"Sure." Eighteen followed Juu out the door with Seventeen bringing up the rear.

Seventeen had noticed the change in Juu ever since Gohan's appearance. It wasn't something Eighteen would notice since Eighteen wasn't too good at reading people's emotions.

_Something's up with you sister, and I think that something is Gohan. What is he to you? I know you were trying to cover up the truth. If Eighteen found out, you would be dead. She's the strongest one among us._

* * *

Gohan took shelter inside a ruined building. His wounds had completely healed. He had only suffered minor injuries in his battle with Juu, and those were just to make it look convincing.

He then heard a scream of a little girl, probably a survivor that didn't get out of the city.

He ran at full speed to the location of the scream.

All he saw were some small clothes on the ground.

He looked around frantically. "Hello! Is anyone there?"

He then sensed something and leapt out of the way as a green tail erupted from the building behind him, shattering the building's wall and throwing up a small dust cloud.

Gohan stared wide-eyed as the green tail retreated into the dust cloud. It looked like it had a sharp needle on the end of it, something Gohan made a mental note to steer clear of.

Gohan needed to calm himself down if he was going to stand a chance against this new threat, so he took cover behind the wall of rubble.

He was able to focus, but didn't have much time to catch his breathe.

"Ka-me-ha-me-ha!"

Gohan's eyes widened as he recognized the name of his father's favorite attack, though he did not recognize the voice. He leapt to the side, avoiding the attack and started running, looking for more open terrain where he could see his attacker.

He was shocked when he saw the creature running beside him. It had green skin and piercing reptilian eyes. It had a head, and wings that looked like they belonged on a beetle, and its feet were similar to those of several alien races. Off course, Gohan would never ignore that long tail with a needle on the end.

What surprised Gohan more was the fact that the creature was able to keep up with him. They ran side by side until they reached an open area in the middle of the city, at which point Gohan stopped and turned to face it.

Gohan took his fighting stance and gave the creature an icy glare. "I take it you can talk. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to fire that kamehameha attack."

The creature smiled, or came as close to a smile as possible with that strange mouth. "Ah, yes of course. I am quite the strategist."

"Then answer me this, who or what are you and why do you want to attack me?"

"I won't reveal my secrets so easily, but you could say we're both after the same thing."

Gohan raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I am also on a quest to destroy the androids. I assume you want the same thing."

"I want to stop the androids, not necessarily destroy them, and your answer still doesn't explain why you attacked me."

"I was simply testing your abilities. I think we could work together. I have no idea how to find the androids, yet you seem to posses superior tracking skills."

"I don't trust you. I'm almost a hundred percent sure that you were the one who killed that girl."

The creature chuckled. "It was a small price to pay. I need all the power I can get."

Gohan gritted his teeth. "I'm definitely not joining forces with you. In fact, I don't think you had any intention of teaming up with me to begin with, you just wanted me to let my guard down so you could have an easy meal."

Cell shrugged. "Fine, you caught on well, but just because you know what I'm planning," Cell cocked his tail into a striking position. "Doesn't mean you can stop me!"

Gohan's eyes widened at the enormous power he felt. He was so stunned that he was barely able to dodge the lightning fast tail strike.

Gohan leapt back, he needed some distance to launch his counter attack.

The creature showed no mercy and charged ahead. It phased in from of Gohan and started pummeling him with a barrage of punches.

Gohan was then sent into a crumbling building by a vicious tail swipe to the gut.

As he struggled to his feet he found himself being picked up by the hair, and came face to face with those piercing reptilian eyes.

"Is this all you've got? I guess it still means you're about as strong as Goku, but still, I was expecting more from someone who was trying g to stop the androids."

Gohan was thrown aside, but this time he rolled with the impact and regained his footing.

As the creature charged again, he extended his finger towards its face and yelled, "flash pulse!"

A bright light blinded the creature. It now stopped in its tracks and started clutching its eyes. "M-My eyes! What…have…you…done?"

Gohan didn't waste any time. Take advantage of the creature's current state he fired his Galic Crusher and ran off.

He did his best to conceal his power.

The creature was pushed onto its back by Gohan's attack, but was otherwise unharmed. When it finally regained its sight and footing it let out an angry howl.

"You bastard! I will take your energy and you will become a part of me!"

However, Gohan was long gone by then. He was a master of stealth when he needed to be.

He was currently moving through the subway system; heading towards the next occupied city.

The creature he had just fought plagued his thoughts. _What the hell was that thing? Whatever it is, I'm no match for it. I have to warn Juu about it. I just hope I'm not too late._

* * *

Meanwhile, the battle had not gone unnoticed by the androids.

"Hey Eighteen, did you see that?"

"Yeah, it might be that creature the news is talking about."

"Can you sense how strong the power levels are," asked Juu. She didn't have any energy sensors in her and relied on Seventeen and Eighteen for strength estimates.

Seventeen activated his scanners. His eyes then widened. "The power vanished, but for a brief moment it was stronger than Eighteen."

Eighteen glared at Seventeen. "Your sensors must be malfunctioning. I am the strongest fighter here. No one can have a power greater than me."

"In any case, it is never wise to let your guard down," said Juu.

"Whatever," replied Eighteen. "Why don't we have some fun now. There's a shopping mall that we haven't visited yet."

Seventeen sighed with disappointment. _I had hoped they hadn't noticed it._

* * *

The creature started venting its anger by blasting every building in sight. Mushroom clouds sprang up all over the crumbling city as building after building turned to dust.

_He has to be here somewhere._ The creature kept searching intently, but Gohan was nowhere to be found. _Damn, he's a good hider._

Then, it stopped when it remembered something. _His energy…I know Dr. Gero has files on it somewhere. _

It searched its memory until an image of a five-year old boy fighting the saiyan Raditz appeared in his mind.

A grin formed on its lips. _Ah…how interesting. Welcome back to Earth Gohan. If I can't destroy Goku, then destroying you will be the next best thing._

* * *

I enjoyed making this chapter. You can all probably guess who the creature is. I plan on having a second encounter between Gohan and the androids in the next chapter.


	10. Warnings

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

* * *

Gohan was glad to be out of the sewer. He had been there all night, running for his life. Now that he was perceived to be at a safe distance from the creature, he had to track Juu down again.

He slowed his breathing, using all six of his senses to scan his surroundings. _Darn it! After being in that sewer so long my sense of smell is nearly useless, but there's a city nearby. Juu should be there. _

Gohan made his way toward the city, while wearily scanning the area for any sign of Cell.

When he got there, he found a hotel and paid for it with some money he had kept with him. He had always made it a point to carry the money of a planet he was visiting.

When he got to his room, his first order of business was getting cleaned up. Once he had the sewer smell washed away, he would be able to sniff out Juu and warn her about Cell.

Gohan sighed happily as the water from the shower fell down his body. It had been too long since he had felt warm water run down his body, and he took his sweet time washing his body with soap. He enjoyed the fruity smell of the shampoo as he rubbed it in his long hair.

After finishing his shower, he put on an extra pair of clothes and then put his dirty clothes in a laundry machine across the hall. He would wait until morning before setting out to find the androids. He needed a good night's rest.

* * *

"_Gohan please! Come back!" Juu ran after the figure in the distance. Yet even though she was running and he was walking, he remained as distant as ever._

"_Come back to me!" She was desperate to be near him. She was to feel his warm, as his arms wrapped around her. She was finally started to get closer as she reached out to him. "Please Gohan!" _

"_Why should I?" His voice was harsh, and caused her to flinch as she stopped in her tracks. "Why should I come back, after all you've done?" _

"_But it wasn't me. It was-" _

"_Them? Yeah I know the story. You just play the part of the helpless observer." _

_Juu shook her head. "No!" _

"_You only ever cared for yourself! I meant nothing to you! You only sided with me to get protection from those Z-fighters. Now you're siding with them because they're the strongest." _

_Juu sank to her knees, covered her ears and shook her head. "No! That's not true"_

_Gohan didn't care about the pain in her voice. "You betrayed me." _

"_Gohan…come back…I'm sure we could work something out." _

"_Its me or them Juu. Me or them." _

"_Please don't make me-"_

"_Why not? It's a simple choice." _

"_They're my family. I can't just turn my back on them!" _

"_Really? You were so quick to turn your back on me and my beliefs." _

"_I didn't! I haven't killed anyone!"_

"_Yet you allowed the killings to go on!" _

"_But I can't do anything. They were too strong. Nobody could stop them." _

"_The Z-fighters nearly did, until you saved them." _

"_I-I'm sorry…" Tears freely flowed from Juu's eyes._

"_I'm sorry too. We had a chance, but now there can never be an us." _

_As Juu continued to sob, a thought occurred to her. "Wait a minute, how did you know about me saving the"_

Juu's eyes shot open as the first rays of the sun fell on her face. She looked over at the other two beds and saw Seventeen and Eighteen sleeping soundly.

She sighed in relief when she noticed that there were no tears. Thank god she hadn't actually been crying, what would they have though?

She was glad it was only a dream. _Gohan would really hate me that much…would he?_

She was startled by the sound of Seventeen and Eighteen as they started waking up.

* * *

Goten sat outside his house. He had been up since before the sun had come up.

"Goten, breakfast is ready!"

"Coming mom!" Goten got up and went inside to eat.

"Is there something on your mind sweaty?" Chichi sounded concerned.

"Oh, nothing mom. I was just worried about the androids attacking."

"Don't worry Goten. They won't come into the country."

"I know mom, but I was worried about the people in the cities. I don't like hiding out here while the rest of the world falls apart."

Chichi smiled sadly and patted him on the head. "Your father would be proud."

"Thanks mom." _I just wish he were here right now. He would've beaten those androids easily. I hope the others can handle things. I wonder where Krillin is? He usually comes by to visit to make sure we're doing okay._

* * *

"Hey Juu, can we destroy the city now," asked Eighteen. "There wasn't much here to begin with."

Juu simply shrugged. "Sure, why not."

"Let's begin then." Seventeen pointed his finger at a prison. "Time for some anarchy." He fired a beam at the wall of the prison, causing it to explode and allowing the surviving criminals to escape.

"I can top that," said Eighteen as she raised her hand. A barrage of blasts shot up from her palm and rained down on nearby crowds.

Seventeen and Eighteen went off into the heart of the city, each pursuing their own idea of how to kill.

Juu tried to follow, but felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist. She was pulled into a nearby alley a few seconds later.

"Who do you think you-" As she turned around to fight the person responsible, she came face to face with Gohan.

Gohan gave her an amused look. "You were saying?"

"Gohan…why'd you pull me into this alley. You're planning to fight again aren't you? Didn't I say I could handle it?"

"Just relax Juu. I'm still recovering from some injuries. I would be no help to the people of Earth if I went to fight them now. I just came to warn you."

Juu put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow. "Warn me? About what?"

"Have you been watching the news lately?"

"Does this have anything to do with those mysterious deaths? The ones where people are sucked out of their clothes?"

"It just so happens that I ran into the creature responsible for those deaths."

"So what happened? You wouldn't be warning me if you killed it and went on your way."

Gohan's face became grim. "I was beaten…badly. This creature is very strong Juu. Don't get caught by it alone. It will kill you. For some reason it has a special interest in Seventeen and Eighteen."

Juu became worried as if some primal fear was starting to take control of her. "What does it look like?"

"Basically like a humanoid insect with a long tail that has a sharp point at the end. You'll know it if you see it."

"Thanks for the warning, but what now?"

"I guess I'll go hide somewhere. I wouldn't want Seventeen and Eighteen to find me. Goodbye Juu take care." Gohan was about to walk away, but was yanked back by the wrist.

Juu pulled him to her and locked lips with him. The kiss lasted about a minute, but it seemed like an eternity for the two involved.

Gohan gave her a surprised smile when the broke apart. "What was that about?"

"Payback for what happened in the museum. Now we're even." Juu winked at him. "Now get out of here so I can find my brother and sister."

Gohan grinned at her before running off.

However, Juu wasn't keen on warning Seventeen and Eighteen about the creature. _If I tell them about the creature, they'll want to know where I got the information from…and I can't tell them that Gohan's alive._

Shaking her head to clear her mind, she ran off to find her siblings.

* * *

Gohan walked through the ruined city, looking to help the remaining survivors get to safety before a certain creature showed up to absorb them.

"So my hunch was correct. You are here on earth."

Gohan stopped and looked up to see Piccolo floating in the air. He had a stern look on his face, but his tone was neutral.

"You must be the Namek Piccolo. Why would you care that I'm here?"

Piccolo descended until he stood on the ground a few feet away from Gohan. "Isn't it obvious? I need if you'll be a threat to us."

Gohan smirked. "That depends. I'll leave you and your friends alone, since I'm not here to help the androids. However, if you even touch Juu, that'll be it."

Piccolo raised his eyebrow ridge. "Juu? Is that a pet name for Juuhachigou?"

"Yes."

"Anyway, since you've made your point. I'll be on my way."

"Hold on. There's something I should warn you about."

"A warning?"

"Yeah. I'm sure you've sensed another unfamiliar power level on this planet."

"So you have more information about it?"

"I fought it a short while ago. It's by far the strongest warrior on this planet if you discount the androids. It wants to find the androids for some reason…though I'm not sure why."

"That's interesting so he's an enemy of the androids?"

"Yeah, but he's no friend of ours. He knows the Kamehameha wave for some reason and steer clear of his tail if you fight him."

"Thanks for the advice. I'll be on my way now." _Strange, only Master Roshi can teach the Kamehameha wave. _ Piccolo took off and flew away.

Gohan was about to continue searching when he felt an eerie power approach.

He immediately hid inside a crumbling building as the creature leapt into the area.

Those reptilian eyes looked around frantically.

"I could've sworn there was someone here." _I haven't found the androids yet. They were so close, yet they slip away before I can even get to them. If only I had a method of tracking them._

The creature then realized something. Gohan had been tracking the androids this whole time. He must have had a way of finding them.

The creature let out a light chuckle. _That's just one more reason to be interested in him. I will find out how he is tracking the androids. _

The creature ran off in a random direction.

After the coast was clear, Gohan came out of the shadows and set off in his own direction.

* * *

This chapter was a bit short for this story. Here are some review questions:

1-How was Ju's dream sequence? Did it do a good job of showing her insecurities?

2-How was the meeting between Gohan and Juu?

3-What are your thoughts on the encounter with Piccolo?


	11. Gohan's Resolve

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

* * *

"_The gang of delinquents has struck again! They been getting better and better at their gruesome art, and communication with the destroyed towns is impossible so other cities cannot receive accurate information about what they look like. The authorities allowed the military to step in and use lethal force, but even this seems to have o effect!" _

Gohan turned off the radio as he waited outside an abandoned city. He was getting impatient, Juu had yet to get the situation under control. She was protecting him by persuading them that he was dead, but was allowing the androids to kill everyone else. He cared about her, but couldn't allow this despair to go on.

The destruction caused by the androids echoed stories he had heard about the purging missions Frieza's men went on.

It was exceeded only by the destruction of planets by Frieza.

He gained a new resolve as he stood up with a determined expression. _Sorry Juu, but I doubt you expected me to wait forever. I have to do this. It would be a disgrace for me to let innocent people suffer on your word alone. I will save the planet…and you._

Gohan took to the skies and flew towards the next confirmed target of the androids. As he flew, he sensed a presence behind him on the ground. It was following him and trying to conceal itself from him.

Gohan immediately stopped and descended down to a city road, turning around to see what had been following him.

The creature leapt out from an alleyway several yards away from him. It was the same one that had nearly killed him before and a broad grin was on its face that sent a chill down Gohan's spine.

Gohan, though somewhat frightened, maintained his cool and looked as strong as ever.

"It take it you've been trailing me for quite some time now."

The creature chuckled. "Yes…I have been following you through these last few cities. You know, you have been somewhat nonviolent for someone trying to destroy the androids."

"That's none of your concern. Now why don't you tell me why you haven't killed me yet? I had no idea where you were up until you made a mistake a few moments ago. You could've killed me if you wanted to. So, what use am I to you? My life must have a purpose in your plan if you've let me live."

"You're a perceptive one Gohan."

Gohan's eyes widened. "I never told you my name."

"I have data on you. I know all about how you were kidnapped from earth, though my data after the battle on Namek doesn't include you. No, my data centers mostly around your father and his friends, though I consider you to be far more interesting."

"Why?"

"First of all, you did better than I thought in our battle. Any Z-fighter, including your father, would've been killed in an instant had they been in the same situation with the same power difference that we had."

"There are many fighting styles in the galaxy. The Z-fighters have only limited knowledge of the martial arts."

"I know, but I am also intrigued about your unique tracking skills. For some reason, you have been able to accurately track the androids. You arrive in the city before the attack happens and help the survivors after it ends."

Gohan tapped his nose. "It's all here."

The creature raised a bro ridge. "Your nose?"

"Yes. A saiyan's nose can be very sharp when trained properly. Its abilities are equal to that of an earth creature known as a bloodhound. With it, I can track the androids across the planet. All I need is a good whiff of something that has their scent on it."

"I see. Thanks for telling me how to track them."

"You're not a saiyan, how do you know you'll be able to do it."

"I'll find a way, but first, I'll need to absorb your energy to handle all three of them."

Gohan leapt into the air as the creature's tail shot toward him. He leapt out of range of the menacing appendage and fired a ki blast at the ground, throwing up a smoke screen.

"Special Beam Canon!" The creature's blast shot through the smoke on a course toward Gohan. It missed him by an inch as he ducked under it. However, the blast had succeeded in blowing away the smoke screen.

It chuckled. "You can't escape me that easily Gohan. I can sense your energy."

Gohan braced himself as the creature came charging forward. He blocked a punch by crossing his arms in front of him. As the creature tried to take advantage of the with its free arm, Gohan wrapped his tail around the creature's leg and tripped it.

As the creature fell backwards with a thud, Gohan leapt back. "You're not the only one with a useful tail."

The creature growled in frustration as it got back to its feet. "How? How did you get so much stronger? Even saiyans don't gain that much strength after recovery."

"I don't know. I guess I'm just like this. So does that mean you're going to give up on absorbing me?"

The creature let out an evil laugh. "Oh, quite the contrary. This just means that my desire to absorb is greater." The creature charged forward again, launching a barrage of punches

What surprised both of them was the fact that Gohan was able to block. He was still not strong enough to launch a counter offensive, but he could now see the creature's moves and block the attacks.

The creature then grinned. "Do you really think you can keep this up forever. I can tell, you're only barely-"

The creature was cut off when Gohan kneed its face. "You're right, I can't keep this up forever, which is why I'm exploiting every available weakness."

The enraged creature howled and recklessly lashed out with its tail.

Gohan smirked and caught it. "You should know better than to try the same move twice." He hen hurled the creature over his shoulder, sending it crashing into a building. "Galic Crusher!" Gohan's blast served to further disorient the creature.

As it stood back up the creature noticed something. _I…I'm getting tired? I can't believe he was able to expend some of my energy!_

Gohan didn't give the creature a chance. He yelled "Flash Pulse," blinding creature, before he took off to find the androids.

When the creature finally regained its composure, Gohan was long gone. It could still sense him, but decided not to follow. _Gohan was a tougher opponent than I thought. If it had been anyone else with the same power level as him, I would've won easily. He is special and I won't be able to absorb him easily in my current state. Perhaps I should seek bioextract elsewhere. _

The creature closed its eyes and felt for a city. After a while it opened its and with a smile. _That'll do._ Soon, it was headed westward.

* * *

"So it was Gohan," asked Trunks as he and Piccolo talked in front of Capsule Corp.

Piccolo nodded. "I have no idea what to make of him though. He doesn't seem like a direct threat to us, but he didn't threaten us outright. All I know is that he wants to destroy Seventeen and Eighteen, and protect Juuhachigou at the same time."

"So he's sending mixed messages?"

"Exactly."

"Well, if he isn't with us, then he could end up against us. I think we should consider him a possible threat. How about you?"

"It's difficult to say Trunks. It's true that he could end up against us, but he could also end up with us. We just don't know."

"Hey guys," said Yamcha as he came out. "What're you guys talking about?"

"We're talking about Gohan," said Trunks. "We just don't know what to make of him."

"Well, he did clear up some things about that creature," said Yamcha. "That has to count for something."

Piccolo nodded. "I can agree that Gohan is acting in the best interests of society. He truly wants to stop the carnage, however, when it comes to Juuhachigou, things get blurry. How do we know he wouldn't side with her, like he did last time."

"You guys never actually told me what happened last time," said Yamcha. "All you said was that he refused o join you and protected Juuhachigou."

"Well, to put it all in a nutshell," said Trunks. "They beat us up. He even defeated me in one on one combat in spite of not being a super saiyan."

"That's Goku's son for you," said Yamcha in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Piccolo and Trunks didn't say anything. Then a small plane arrive contained Goten, Chichi, and the Ox King

"Hey guys I came here like you said."

"Good Goten," said Trunks. "It isn't safe for us to be separated right now."

"Tien and Chaotzu should be also be arriving soon," said Yamcha.

Piccolo contacted Trunks and Yamcha mentally.

"_We shouldn't talk about Gohan in front of Goten, Chichi, or the Ox King. It could lead to problems." _

"_I agree," said Trunks. _

"_Yeah," said Yamcha. "They might try to track him down, which is pretty dangerous." _

"So what's up guys?" asked Goten as Chichi and the Ox King went inside.

"Um…well we still haven't come up with a way to defeat the androids," said Piccolo. "The three of them would be much stronger by now anyway. The two from our timeline can draw on the experience from Juuhachigou."

Goten ran a hand through his long hair. (Goten is as tall as Gohan during the Cell Games, but with the hair that he has at the end of dragonball Z) "I wish I could help."

"Maybe we could help the survivors of the attack," suggested Yamcha. "At least then we could save the lives of people who would otherwise starve to death or something."

"That's a great idea Yamcha," said Trunks. "It definitely beats hiding out all the time."

"We'll have to wait for Tien and Chaotzu. If we do run into the androids, its better if we fight them as a group."

Everyone nodded in agreement at Piccolo's statement, except Goten.

An idea suddenly popped into his head and he turned to Piccolo. "I know what the girl androids look like, but what does the guy look like?"

"He looks like the girl, only with a slightly more masculine face. His hair is black and he has more of a male figure. Why do you ask?"

"I just wanted to know what they look like, just in case."

"Alright then. I think we should all get inside and wait for Tien and Chaotzu," said Yamcha.

Everyone agreed and went inside. Soon, it was time for dinner. As everyone gathered around the table Bulma noticed something.

"Hey, where's Goten?"

"He must be sleeping or something. Hey Goten! Dinner's ready," called Chichi.

There was no answer.

"I don't like this," said Piccolo. "I don't sense him anywhere in the house."

* * *

Gohan arrived just as the destruction had started. He ran through the city, ducking behind a building when he saw Seventeen hovering nearby.

"Hey Juu, I'm going off on my own too."

"Alright Seventeen, said Juu. Eighteen had apparently already left to cause destruction in a different part of the city.

Gohan saw Seventeen fly over head and was thankfully out of sight. He waited until Seventeen was a mere speck before emerging from his hiding spot.

"Hey Juu," said Gohan as he approached. "There's something important I have to discuss with you."

Juu was currently sitting on an intact bench and turned her head slightly, motioning for him to sit with her. She had that smile that he enjoyed seeing.

"What is it Gohan. It must be important if you risked being killed by Seventeen."

Gohan sat down next to her and tensed up as she leaned her head on his shoulder. She giggled when she sensed his ridgidity.

"What's wrong Gohan, you're so tense," she said in a mock worried tone.

Gohan sighed and relaxed his body before speaking. "I've come to an important decision Juu. I trust you, but I also know that you're afraid of them."

Juu raised an eyebrow. "Them?"

"Seventeen and Eighteen. I know you fear them figuring out the truth. I know that you haven't been able to curb their murderous nature. I wanted to believe that you could, but I think its time I take matters into my own hands."

"I…I don't understand," said Juu and a seemingly confused tone.

"I've decided to stop them myself. I'm sorry Juu. I know they're your family and I know you'd rather that neither of us die."

Juu took her head off Gohan's shoulder and turned to him with a sad smile. "I knew this would happen. I wanted to believe that you would stay out of harm's way, but I knew you would grow impatient."

She turned away from him and scooted over to the end of the bench.

Gohan gave her a sympathetic look before scooting closer to her, cupping her chin and turning her head to face him.

"Don't worry. I'll save you. I will protect you."

Juu smiled as she lost herself in his eyes.

Gohan sensed something and turned around. "Someone's coming, and by the feel of it, I'd say it's my brother."

"Hide Gohan. I'll knock him out and let you carry him out of here."

Gohan nodded before vanishing into the shadows. Goten landed in front of Juu only moments later.

"I've come to fight you," he said in a defiant tone.

Juu smirked and put her hands on her hips. "You're a bit outclassed here. Don't you remember what I did to you last time?"

"I've gotten stronger." Goten took his fighting stance. "I'm going to win this time."

Juu sighed before phasing behind Goten, knocking him out with a swift blow to the base of the spine.

Gohan emerged from the shadows with a grin on his face. "You've still got it."

Juu smiled back. "So it seems."

Gohan then picked Goten up. "I'll try to take him to West City without being seen."

Juu nodded. "You should hurry. I'm sure Seventeen and Eighteen are done destroying the city. They should be returning soon."

Gohan nodded before rushing into the ruins of a nearby building and hiding in the cellar. It would be safer to hide and wait for the androids to leave instead of trying to make an escape and running into one by mistake. Gohan could only know where Juu was. He didn't know the scent of Seventeen or Eighteen.

Just as Juu had predicted, Seventeen and Eighteen landed near Juu.

"I think we're done here," said Eighteen. "Isn't that right Seventeen?"

Seventeen nodded.

Juu smiled, and threw out a dinocap. The cap expanded into a red convertible. "Let's hit the road them.

With that, the three of them got in the car and drove off into the distance.

Gohan waited a few moments to make sure the coast was clear before running through the streets. He had to conceal his power level to make sure that creature wouldn't track him down. As he ran, he heard a voice in the distance.

"Goten!" It was Trunks.

Gohan stopped and hid in an alley. After Trunks had walked by he roused Goten, and disappeared before the youth was fully awake.

"Goten where are you?"

Goten heard Trunks' calls and woke up fully. "I'm over here Trunks!"

Trunks immediately phased to where he heard Goten.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a concerned tone.

"I'm fine…I think. One minute I was about to fight Juuhachigou and the next I woke up here. I have no idea what's going on."

This must be Gohan's work, thought Trunks. "Alright Goten, I think we should return now. Don't worry; Piccolo has decided not to lecture you since you've probably already found out how dangerous this stunt you pulled was. Besides that, his blood pressure is high enough with the androids running amok."

Goten sighed. "And mom?"

"Well…she's worried, but she doesn't have to know that you recklessly decided to challenge the androids."

"Thanks Trunks." Goten and Trunks then took off to return to West City, where the others where waiting for them.

* * *

I've finally gotten some of my inspiration back. Just to clear up something, Gohan wasn't as powerful as Cell, however, his abnormal power increase and superior fighting skills allowed him to hold his own for a little while, though he had to resort to cheap shots to ensure his escape.

I can't believe I didn't ask this earlier, but do you think I should find a way to include the people from Juu's original timeline in this story by having them travel to the story's timeline?


	12. Galactic Invasion

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

* * *

Juu sighed as she looked out the window. Seventeen was driving while Eighteen was sitting in the back seat.

Eighteen noticed Juu's sigh and smiled at her. "Something wrong Juu? You seem like you've got a lot on your mind."

"I'm just bored. We didn't find much to do at the last city before we destroyed it."

"I agree," said Eighteen. "If only Gohan or those Z-fighters were still alive. Then we could have some more fun with them."

"Maybe they're not dead," said Seventeen.

Juu became slightly worried. _Does he know?_

"What are you talking about Seventeen. Juu killed Gohan and destroyed the Z-fighters as well."

"Exactly Eighteen. Juu did it. No offense Juu, but from the stories you told us, the Gohan and Trunks of your timeline lasted at least thirteen years."

Juu was relieved as she discovered a way out of a compromising situation. "I see what you mean. In fact, the Gohan and Trunks of my timeline were still alive when I left. Assuming Junannagou didn't kill Gohan while I was away."

Eighteen grinned. "So that means that there's still a chance that we could see those Z-fighters, or even Gohan. Though I doubt Krillin would still be alive. I made sure he never got up again."

Seventeen chuckled. "You must've snapped his neck at least ten times for the fun of it."

"How can you snap a neck ten times," asked Juu.

"Just snap it in different areas," replied Eighteen. "I started at the base and worked must way up to the head."

"We're nearing the next town," said Seventeen.

"Good, I can't wait," said Eighteen.

Juu looked out the window. There was uncertainty in her eyes. The Z-fighters were still alive with the exception of Goku and Krillin. They were probably formulating a new plan to defeat the androids.

Worst of all, she knew that Gohan was coming. She was afraid of Seventeen and Eighteen's reactions to him being alive, but the thing she feared most was him getting hurt. He couldn't possibly match the strength of the androids.

To top it all off, there was that creature Gohan had warned about. It was the wildcard in this scenario, as Juu didn't know what to expect or how powerful it was.

* * *

Two space pods entered planet Cold's atmosphere. They looked like twin meteors as they heated up before landing in the ice. They had an improved landing system to allow for stealthier and less destructive landings.

When the pod hatches opened, Nail and Raditz stepped out. They were currently on the outskirts of the changeling capital.

They had no idea that a figure was watching them from atop a nearby cliff. It was robotic and had a profile similar to Frieza's, only taller.

The figure grinned sadistically as it watched Raditz and Nail compress their ships into small disks before cautiously making their way to the city.

It contacted its leader. "It appears we have some company."

"Excellent. Monitor them for now. Attack only if they come too close to our base. They can't find out until we have confirmation from the others."

"Yes sir," replied the robot before severing the link.

The leader chuckled before making his way down a dark hallway. At the end of the hallway was a jail cell with bars made of bluish laser beams instead of iron bars.

Inside was Glacer, his limbs bound by chains made of energy that emerged from metallic bumps on the roof and ceiling. There was an apparatus attached at the base of the tail, which collected Glacer's waste when he needed to go.

The light from the cell revealed the leader's appearance. He looked like a metallic version of Cooler in his final form.

"It appears that they've come after you."

"You won't get away with this Cooler. They will give you your just deserts."

"Silence traitor! That's no way to speak to a member of the royal family."

"It is you who is the traitor; you and your royal family. We could've set an example for the entire galaxy. We could've gained great respect, but instead we gained fear and it's all because of you family's greed."

"You've got some nerve Glacer, but I'm not going to kill you just yet. No, that would be too easy on you. I think I'll torture you a little longer." Cooler snapped his fingers.

An electric current ran through the energy chains and started electrocuting Glacer.

Cooler laughed at how Glacer struggled to hide the pain. "You can scream if you want to. We both know that you're in excruciating pain."

Glacer remained defiant as he clamped his jaws tightly together to prevent himself from screaming.

* * *

Nail and Raditz entered a barren city. The buildings where crumbling as if in the aftermath of a battle.

"There must've been a some sort of civil unrest," said Nail as he looked at some of the broken windows. "Some of these windows were broken from the inside."

"My bet is definitely on Cooler. Only a member of the royal family could gain enough loyalty among the changelings to challenge the new regime in this way."

They heard a cracking sound and turned around. Their eyes widened as they leapt out of the way of a death beam.

Looking at the source of the blast, they saw a metallic changeling that resembled Cooler in his third form.

"So it was you," said Raditz. "What happened to Glacer?"

The robot laughed. "Don't worry about Glacer, you'll be joining him soon. He's in jail for treason against our royal family."

"There's something that doesn't add up though," said Nail. "You're a robot, not a changeling."

The robot laughed. "I am not the one true Cooler, just a drone made to look like him. I'm about as strong as Frieza, but the true Cooler is much stronger."

"So that's why he hasn't shown up for a while! He was building up an army of powerful robots like yourself wasn't he?"

The robot laughed as more robots resembling him came out of the shadows. "You're right Raditz, though you don't know the whole truth."

Raditz and Nail looked around nervously at the army of Meta-Cooler drones. Each one was as powerful as Frieza in his final form.

"Oh don't worry about them. They're only there as a barrier to prevent your escape. Now onto the story of what happened to master Cooler. You see, when he heard of his brother's defeat, he went to Earth to get revenge on the saiyan responsible, but was struck down by another super saiyan named Trunks. His biological remains where incinerated, except for a few, which where sent out into space. A scientist named Dr. Dread then found them. Dr. Dread then used his scientific genius to rebuild Cooler and then build all of us to help him regain control of the home planet."

"So is this Dr. Dread on this planet as well, and why would he help Cooler."

"Simple really, he wasn't satisfied with the weak galactic alliance that was formed after Frieza's defeat on Namek. He wanted to build a stronger system of government with tighter controls on what people could do. Master Cooler is but one of a group known as the Big Five."

"The Big Five? So there's an entire organization supporting this?" Raditz was shocked when he came to that realization. "Then the trouble isn't just here! It must be on several planets!"

"I'm afraid I can only say this to answer your questions. There is a grand plan unfolding with the Doctor as the mastermind behind it." The robot chuckled. "It was a mistake to send Gohan to Earth. Your fellow saiyans would've needed him. Thanks for telling him to visit Earth."

"I won't allow this," said Nail as he and Raditz charged up energy in the hands.

"Weak fools." The robot phased behind them and knocked each one out with a blow to the base of the neck before they could react. "You wanted to see Glacer? Well you'll get your wish."

* * *

Vegeta was headed towards the training area for a good workout. He needed to clear his head of the problems that had been occurring. _I've tried to contact planet Cold and failed. Now the connection with the Namekians has also been severed. I don't like this at all. There's something going on._

A saiyan soldier rushed towards at full speed. He saluted the king before speaking. "Your majesty, I have an urgent news. There are massive space carriers in our atmosphere. It looks like someone is attempting to invade our planet."

Vegeta clenched his fist. "Take me to them soldier. We'll show them no mercy."

They rushed outside the palace to see an armada of aircraft carrier-sized ships hovering in the air.

"Those ships must be carrying heavy weaponry," said Vegeta.

"There are troops landing on the ground," said Nappa as landed near Vegeta. "They're Triceratons." Vegeta was shocked, and the soldier beside him gasped.

"Mobilize every saiyan on this planet," said Vegeta. "The Triceratons are not to be underestimated! They picked the wrong planet to invade!"

The Triceratons were humanoids that were as large and bulky as Nappa. They had orange skin and a hand with two large fingers and a thumb. Their heads resembled those of a Triceratops as their name suggested.

There were hordes of them, armed with powerful lasers running amok across the planet. Even though the saiyans were a powerful warrior race, a Triceraton was every bit as powerful as the average saiyan, physically, and their laser made up for them not being able to fire ki blasts. They also had powerful jet packs that channeled their ki to produce flight; a mechanism similar to what the androids of Earth used.

"Take this!" Nappa thrust two of his fingers up, causing several Triceratons to explode. "That'll teach you pea brained geckos to come here!"

He heard someone behind him laugh ad turned around to see another Triceraton. This one had an eye patch over one eye with a scar both above and below where the eye patch ended. He also had a robotic arm.

"And who are you," asked Nappa.

"I am commander Mozar; leader of the Triceraton forces on this planet. I heard what you said, and I agree that you saiyans would win in an even fight. However, look around you. We have you outnumbered ten to one. Even a saiyan can't fight ten of us. You saiyans may be at your zenith in terms of strength, but you're all still a bunch of endangered monkeys."

"We have one thing you Triceratons would never have," said Nappa as he took a fighting stance. "A super saiyan. Our king will tear through all of your forces."

Commander Mozar grinned. _I wouldn't be too sure of that._

Nappa charged at his foe and started to throw punches mercilessly. He was surprised and frustrated when he realized that Mozar was blocking all of his blows.

"Take this!" Nappa thrust two of his fingers upwards, unleashing his signature technique. "How about that gecko?"

Mozar laughed as he hovered above the explosion. "Nice try saiyan."

Nappa looked up in shock. "That's impossible! Triceratons can't fly. They can't use their energy in any way."

"So you thought saiyan," replied Mozar in a smug tone. "Our races where always equal in terms of physical strength, but yours had the advantage of energy. That was until our technology allowed us to harness our own latent energy. Our lasers, and the flying device I just used, channel our ki. They allow us to bridge the gap that divided our races. However, we have numbers on our side."

Nappa smirked. "Don't think you've won just yet. We've still got a super saiyan on our side."

"Big Bang Attack!" Vegeta's blast hit one of the large carriers, causing it to explode.

As it went down, a hatch in the front of the carrier opened out like a ramp, and a large, humanoid mecha emerged from it. It had one eye with a rounded head and a small torso. Its legs were relatively long and the whole thing was colored grey. It was armed with two large shoulder mounted guns and a beam sword and giant shield in each hand.

The mecha's eye glowed red as it locked on to Vegeta. Vegeta smirked since he thought he could easily take on a robot.

The mecha lashed out with it sword, and missed as Vegeta phased behind it. Vegeta kicked the mecha in the back, but that only sent it flying a few feet without doing any damage.

"Looks like I'll be having more fun than usual." Vegeta fired his Galic gun at the mecha when it turned around to face him.

To his shock, the mecha blocked the attack with its shield. The attack had been useless.

"Look's like I'll need to use more power to defeat you," said Vegeta as he powered up. A golden aura flared around him as he ascended to the level of super saiyan.

The mecha started firing its laser at Vegeta. Vegeta dodged all of them and sent the mecha into the ground with a powerful haymaker to the top of the head. He smirked as he saw the dust cloud thrown up by the impact.

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall," he said triumphantly. Then as if out of nowhere, a laser beam came out and hit Vegeta. "Damn you! You don't know when to quit!"

Vegeta swatted the blast aside, only to be met by the same mecha. It lashed out with its beam sword, this time grazing Vegeta's shoulder.

Vegeta landed on a building, clutching his bleeding shoulder. _This is inconceivable. How can that robot hold its own against me? I am Vegeta, the king of all saiyans. I can't lose to some mecha. I have to destroy it quickly s before it has the chance to get me with that sword. _

As the mecha came forward again, Vegeta surged into the air, and cupped his hands in front of his body. "Final Flash!" The attack was met with the mecha's shield, but this time it mowed through it, and bore a hole through the mecha's chest.

The mecha's eye stopped glowing as it crashed to the ground and blew up on impact.

Vegeta sighed, and landed on a building, cauterizing his shoulder wound with his energy. I can't believe I had to use that much energy to stop a mecha. I have a very bad feeling about all this.

Vegeta then sensed something and leapt out of the way as a blast destroyed the building he was standing on. He turned around to see a group of six other mecha, each identical to the one he had just fought, approaching him.

His eyes widened. _This is madness! How can I fight all of them at once?_

* * *

Gohan saw the explosions starting as he sat on top of a mountain near the city. The androids had started their attack on the city and it was time for him to fight them.

He sighed as he rose to his feet. "Sorry Juu, but I've got to stop them. This ends now!"

He took off towards the city with a look of determination on his face.

* * *

This was a fun chapter to write. Now I'm sure all of you are wondering how a mecha could hold its own against super saiyan Vegeta. The explanation is the fact that if Dr. Gero could build powerful androids like Seventeen and Eighteen, then an even smarter, alien scientist, with access to better technology could build something stronger.

Also, another thing to note is that I've borrowed the Triceratons from TMNT. They are an alien race that tries to invade earth in the TMNT cartoon series, but I thought they would look good in DBZ if tweaked properly. I'm also borowing the names and Triceraton characters from the series to have them play similar roles in this fic.

As usual, I have some review questions:

1-Do you like that fact that I've shed more light n what's going on in space and that things have finally started moving up there?

2-What was your reaction to the invasion of New Vegeta?

3-What was reaction to the information given by Cooler's drone?


	13. Darkness before Dawn

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

* * *

Juu watched with a half smile as Seventeen and Eighteen blasted away at the city. They had been having loads of fun yesterday. However, she knew that Gohan would arrive any minute now to try and stop them.

"You look stressed out Juu," said Seventeen as he landed next to her. "Why don't you join us in destroying the city?"

Juu looked up and smiled at her younger brother. "I wouldn't want to take away from your and Eighteen's fun. After all, this is your timeline, and you two have the rights to this planet."

"Nonsense," said Seventeen with a smile. "You saved our lives, and showed us how to properly exploit this planet. You deserve to take part in this stuff as well."

"Hey Seventeen, I'm up by ten points!"

Seventeen's eyes widened as he looked up at his smirking sister, Eighteen. "No way I'm letting you beat me again!" He took off and starting looking for more people to attack.

Juu sighed as she watched the two of them. She remembered that she was once like that, only her brother was the stronger one with greater killing skills.

Just as she started reminiscing about the past, she heard a loud noise. Startled, she looked up to see Eighteen in a building with Seventeen looking up in shock.

Hovering above them was Gohan.

Eighteen narrowed her eyes. "I should've known you'd be back. Juu wasn't strong enough to kill you."

Gohan smiled. "I just needed to gauge your strength. I realized that I stood no chance without prior knowledge of your techniques."

Eighteen smirked as she stepped forward. "Is that what you've been doing all this time? Observing us while humanity burns?"

Gohan raised an eyebrow, but maintained his smile. "You catch on fast for an android."

Eighteen turned her head back to look at Juu. "Hey Juu, no offense, but I think it's best if either Seventeen or I finish him off."

Juu felt powerless, she couldn't refuse them now. "Sure…whatever."

"I want to fight him," said Seventeen as he walked up and stood next to Eighteen.

"Why you and not me?" asked Eighteen. She looked slightly annoyed since she had wanted to fight him.

"Relax Eighteen. Chances are that Trunks survived, and that creature that's been on the news is out there as well. You can always fight him. Besides, I want to show off my fighting skills."

Eighteen shrugged and let out an irritated sigh. "Fine Seventeen, you can fight him."

Seventeen smiled and slid into his fighting stance. _I know Juu sees something in you. This I my chance to find out what. _

Gohan took his fighting stance as well. He had a serious, rock-hard, expression on his face.

"Alright, time to see what the son of Goku is really made of," said Seventeen.

Gohan maintained his tough demeanor. _He's strong…far stronger than Juu. I can't beat him head on. I'll have to find a way to outsmart him._

"Here we go!" Seventeen started off by firing a pair of large energy orbs at Gohan.

Gohan dodged one, and then countered the other with a Big Bang attack. The two blasts collided, exploding to form a dust cloud.

When the smoke cleared, Gohan as nowhere to be seen.

Eighteen's rant began. "Great job Seventeen," she said sarcastically. "You allowed him to escape! I knew I should've been the one to fight him!"

Seventeen ignored her rants; instead, he smiled and closed his eyes to drown out distractions. _I see what you're up to Gohan. You know you can't beat me in a head on confrontation so you're trying to surprise me._ His internally heard a beeping noise from his sensors as his mind pinpoint the coordinates of an energy source.

Seventeen opened his eyes, a devious smirk appeared on his face as he extended his right arm and destroyed a building on his right.

The blast reduced the already damaged building to rubble. As it fell, Gohan leapt out of the debris and back into plain view.

"How did you find me?" asked Gohan with wide eyes.

"You didn't know about the ki sensors Eighteen and I are equipped with, did you Gohan."

"I understand, you took me by surprise Seventeen. Juu didn't have any ki sensors and relied on me to judge or locate power levels. Now I know, and I won't make that mistake again."

"Good, now why don't we start fighting for real? I'm sure the ladies want a good show." The moment he finished speaking, Seventeen leapt towards Gohan and threw a punch.

Gohan tilted his head to the side, barely dodging the attack. He gritted his teeth as he felt the strong gust of wind generate by the force of the fist.

Gohan then tried to trip Seventeen with his foot. He succeeded in throwing Seventeen off his feet, but the android simply floated in the air. Gohan then back flipped three times to gain some distance to breathe.

Though he didn't show it, Gohan felt intimidated by the android's immense strength. _His power is amazing. It won't end well for me if another punch like that connects with my head. _

Gohan didn't have time to formulate a plan as Seventeen immediately went on the offensive. Gohan struggled to block and dodge punch after punch and had to duck under or jump to avoid the lethal kicks.

As Seventeen threw another punch, Gohan found an opening and kneed the android in the abs. He then followed through with an uppercut, knocking the Seventeen's head back.

Seventeen tilted his head forward to face Gohan. He showed no sign of injury and had a smug grin on his face. "Was that your best? This isn't much of a fight if one guy can't hurt the other."

Gohan was shocked and leapt back ten feet. He then extended his hand and yelled "Big Bang Attack!"

The move he learned from Vegeta tore up the concrete as it smashed into the android. Gohan protected his face with his forearm as the blast threw up pieces of asphalt and concrete.

As the smoke cleared Gohan was able to make out Seventeen's figure standing in the small crater that had been formed. As the smoked cleared, it revealed Seventeen to be unharmed.

"I guess Dr. Gero really went overboard when he designed us." Seventeen grinned maliciously when he saw Gohan's wide eyes. "Even the strongest warriors in the universe can't hurt us."

"Just finish him off Seventeen," said Eighteen. "If you can't, then I will."

"No Eighteen. I think I'll take my time with him. He may not be strong, but it's fun seeing what he'll do next. After all, he doesn't rely on a frontal assault like that guy Trunks."

Gohan braced himself as Seventeen started walking towards him.

Juu wanted to look away, but doing so might've made Eighteen suspicious. She was forced to watch this battle whether she wanted to or not.

* * *

Trunks and Yamcha walked down a street in West City. They had decided that going for a walk was better than just sitting around and waiting for the right opportunity to fight the androids.

As the walked, they heard several screams. People were screaming things like "monster!" and "it's coming this way!"

"Something's up Yamcha."

"No doubt. Let's check it out Trunks."

Yamcha and Trunks ran down to the end of the street before rounding the corner. The sight before them sent chills up their spines.

There were clothes scattered all over the place. It looked as if the people had been sucked out of their clothes.

Trunks recognized it immediately as the work of the creature he had heard about on the news. He turned to Yamcha with an alarmed look. "It's that thing Piccolo told us about. It's come here."

"We have to get back to Capsule Corp. and make sure Bulma's okay. We'll also need to warn the others."

Trunks nodded in agreement as they ran to Capsule Corp. Neither had sensed the presence of the creature that was perched on the rooftop, watching them.

"So those are the Z-Fighters. I look forward to testing my strength against them." The creature snickered as it stealthily followed them.

When Yamcha and Trunks arrived, they found Capsule Corp. to be okay. Tien and Chaotzu were training in front with Piccolo meditating under a tree nearby.

"I take it you sensed it too then," said Piccolo as he opened his eyes and stood up.

"We didn't sense it," said Trunks. "However, we were near where it recently attacked. We literally missed it by seconds."

Piccolo nodded. "I was only able to sense it for a brief instant. We'll have to be on guard. There's a chance that it saw and followed you here."

"I'm ready," said Tien with a determined look. "I don't know if we're strong enough to beat it, but I'm not scared of it."

Then they all felt a strong pulse of power nearby. Chaotzu and Yamcha became nervous. Trunks drew his sword, and Piccolo removed his weighted clothing.

"It's here," said Tien in an ominous tone. "Chaotzu, I want you and Goten to protect everyone inside. Don't get involved if you don't have to."

Chaotzu nodded in understanding. There was no arguing with Tien in this situation. Chaotzu then ran inside to alert everyone about the situation.

"Let's all go out to meet it. It's best if we take this fight away from the others." Everyone nodded and followed Piccolo out. They could sense the creature change direction to follow them.

They kept flying until they reached the city square. The people here had all fallen victim to the creature so there wouldn't be anyone around to get hurt.

When they landed, they only had to wait for a few minutes before the creature leapt out of the shadows. Piccolo and Trunks stood their ground, but Tien and Yamcha were taken aback by the creature's appearance.

"Wow! It's freaky," said Yamcha.

"No joke. So this must be the creature that sucked those people out of their clothing."

"Quite right Tien," replied the creature with a smug look.

The Z-fighters were shocked.

"I assume you're all wondering how I know his name," said the creature. "I suppose I could tell you a little bit about myself before I absorb all of you."

"Who are you?" asked Piccolo.

"You could say that I'm a relative of yours…in fact, I have DNA from you, Trunks, Gohan, Goku, Vegeta, Frieza, Tien, Garlic Junior and the Ginyu force."

"So your someone's sick genetic experiment?" asked Trunks.

"Oh I am much more than that Trunks. I am the single greatest achievement of my creator, Dr. Gero."

The Z-fighters were shocked at this revelation.

"B-But I thought-"

"You thought what Trunks? That Seventeen and Eighteen were Dr. Gero's ultimate creations?" It laughed maliciously. "I'm afraid not. For you see, I am the ultimate android, and I get stronger as I absorb the bioextract of the living. Soon all of you will become a part of me."

The Z-fighters tensed up as it started powering up.

* * *

Gohan's body ached as he leapt back. He had a bruise on his cheek from a punch he had received from Seventeen. His clothing was also singed from some ki blasts that had hit.

Seventeen on the other hand looked completely unharmed. He was currently chasing Gohan to inflict more damage.

"At this rate, the fight won't go on much longer," said Eighteen. "Though I could hardly call this a fight. Gohan's finished."

Juu was tensed up as she kept her eyes glued to the fight. Her blank expression did well to hide the pain in her heart.

"What's the matter Gohan? Lost your will to fight already?" Seventeen sped up and rammed his fist into Gohan's gut.

Gohan doubled over on his knees as he spat out a wad of blood.

A hint of emotion flashed into Juu's eyes. Something that Eighteen made a note of.

Seventeen then picked Gohan up by the hair with one hand and started punching him in the gut with the other. Gohan gagged with each blow. His eyes seemed to go blank and his body seemed to be in a state of shock.

Eighteen saw Juu's eye twitching with each blow Seventeen landed.

Seventeen let go of Gohan's hair, and kneed him in the gut, sending him skidding a few feet away. Gohan seemed on the brink of consciousness.

Seventeen walked closer to Gohan and pointed his index finger. "You're may not be strong, but I'll admit that you're fighting skills surpass my own. For that, I'll give you a quick and painless death." Seventeen grinned with satisfaction. "Goodbye Gohan."

Juu felt like she was having a heart attack. He was going to die, and she had to do something. Without thinking she called out to him. "Gohan!" She tried to run to him, but felt a hand grip her arm in a tight hold.

She whirled around to come face to face with Eighteen. Her counterpart gave her an icy glare that froze her down to the core.

"Traitor!" Her words were filled with hate, no pain or betrayal, just hate. "You'd choose him over us?"

Seventeen stopped his attack and turned around to see what was going on.

Eighteen used her superior strength to throw Juu to the ground. "How dare you betray us Juu!"

"Oh come on Eighteen," said Seventeen in a sympathetic tone.

"Just shut up Seventeen! She was going to try and stop you from killing Gohan! Who knows what she might've done to you when your back was turned!"

Seventeen went into deep thought as he considered her point. "Still though, we should at least hear why she did what she did."

"Fine then." Eighteen picked Juu up by the collar of her shirt. "Tell us Juu! Why did you call out his name? Why were you so worried when you saw Seventeen beating the crap out of him?" She shook Juu violently. "What makes him so special?"

Juu was in tears as she stared into her counterpart's eyes. "Because…" She took a big gulp before continuing. "I love him."

Gohan's eyes shot open.

Eighteen grinned sadistically, before breaking out in laughter. "That's really something Juu!"

Seventeen gave Juu a confused, and somewhat disgusted look.

Juu turned her head down and stared at the ground.

"You know I can't allow this Juu." Eighteen turned to her brother. "You know what we must do. It's for her own good."

Seventeen solemnly nodded in agreement. "Fine." He raised his index finger and pointed it at Juu's heart. "Sorry Juu, but this is-" Seventeen's eyes widened as he felt the ground quake beneath him.

He noticed that both Eighteen and Juu were staring at something behind him. He turned around and gaped when he saw Gohan standing.

The saiyan was hunched over, and his body started glowing. As he stood up straight, a golden light erupted from his body.

* * *

I was waiting to put this chapter up. I hope you enjoyed it:

1-What are you thoughts on how I portrayed Seventeen and Eighteen(not Juu)?

2-Did you like the scene at the end?

3-What are your thoughts on the situation in West City?


	14. The Android's Defeat

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

* * *

"I won't let you do it!" Gohan's hair blew behind him like a cape in the wind. It was now gold. Gohan stared at the androids with cold, turquoise eyes. "I will not let you hurt Juu!"

Eighteen smiled at Gohan sadistically; memories of her battle with super saiyan Trunks coming to mind. Dropping Juu, she put her hands on her hips and her grin turned to a frown.

"Who do you think you are?" said Eighteen. "You think that turning super saiyan has given you the strength to beat us? Dr. Gero studied your kind extensively. He gave us every bit of information we needed to combat the super saiyans."

"I'll admit that the two of you are well equipped to deal with super saiyans," said Gohan. "But if you checked you sensors before shooting your mouth off, you would see that I've got you both outmatched."

Eighteen growled and turned to her brother. "Seventeen, what do your sensors say about Gohan's power level?"

Seventeen's eyes widened. "It's…it's over 90,000,000!"

"Over 90,000,000?" asked a surprised Eighteen.

A smirk crossed Gohan's once serious face. "I'll take the look of fear you both have as a sign that I'm stronger than you." Gohan then noticed Juu's face. She had the same fearful expression as her counterpart.

Seeing her expression Gohan phased over to her. Kneeling in front of her, he cupped her chin and looked her in the eye with tenderness. "What's wrong Juu? You don't need to be afraid. I'll protect you, you're safe now."

Juu swallowed a lump in her throat before nodding. She forced a smile.

Gohan smiled back. "Good." He then stood up and glared at Seventeen and Eighteen, who had regroup and readied themselves for the fight.

Gohan phased behind the twins and knocked them both to the ground with a blow to their backs. When they turned around he was gone.

"Looking for me?" They looked up and saw him hovering over them with a blank expression.

"We'll get you!" yelled Seventeen as he and Eighteen charged at him. In a classic twin combo, their movements synchronized. Eighteen disappeared behind Seventeen.

When they were inches in front of Gohan, they split back into two as they attempted to double-team him.

Gohan caught a punch from Seventeen with his right arm, then wrapped his tail around Eighteen's incoming fist. He threw Eighteen to the ground with his tail, then turned around to hurl Seventeen onto her.

"Get off me you idiot!" Eighteen pushed her brother off and flew up at Gohan in a fury. Her fist landed a solid blow to his cheek. She smiled. "Take that-"

"Is that all?"

Gohan had taken the blow without flinching. He was unharmed, and Eighteen noticed blood trickling down from her fist.

_Th-That blood…could it be…my blood?_ Her eyes were wide as she felt her own blood dripping from her aching fist.

Gohan backed up a little before roundhouse kicking Eighteen into a nearby building. He then felt a slight pressure on his neck and turned left to see Seventeen's leg against his neck.

Seventeen's face contorted with fear when he saw how ineffective his kick had been. He was then yanked by that same leg and sent crashing into his sister, who had just emerged from the building she was in.

The two androids got up and wiped the rubble off their clothing.

"His power has progressed beyond anything Dr. Gero could've predicted," said Seventeen in a worried tone.

"Of all the things Dr. Gero doesn't account for!" Eighteen clenched her fists in anger. "Why couldn't that lame brain study Gohan more thoroughly? In fact, he should've been monitoring Goku all along instead of breaking off hi research after he was satisfied."

"I agree," said Seventeen. "Maybe then he would've better prepared us to take on a more powerful super saiyan like Gohan."

"Look at him, hovering up there like he's superior to us." Eighteen's words were filled with venom and hatred. "I'm the strongest! I never run out of energy! That monkey may be on top now, but he'll burn out, like all the other super saiyans!"

"If you two are done discussing your plans, I'd like to destroy you now." Even though Gohan sounded smug, the look on his face was dead serious.

Juu realized that she was about to loose the only family she had in this world. She immediately sprang into action and phased in between Gohan and her fallen family.

"Gohan please stop this." She gave him a tender expression as she tried not to cry from looking into those cold, unforgiving, eyes.

"Why should I?" asked Gohan in a monotone. "Why should I stop when they were the ones who kill all those people? They tried to kill me, and worst of all, they tried to kill you."

"I know they've done some bad things…but maybe they can change…just like I did. I was just as evil as they were when I first came here, but when your father nearly killed me, I felt the same fear that my victims had felt…I…I realized how cruel I had been."

Tears flowed freely from Juu's eyes, yet she refused to break her stare with the super saiyan. Her eyes remained locked with his as the tears flowed, unrestrained.

Juu's gaze enchanted Gohan, it was so sad, yet it held up against his, attesting to her inner strength. However, he quickly noticed Eighteen approaching them from behind her. "Look out Juu!" Gohan grabbed Juu and spun them around, so he ended taking the brunt of Eighteen's energy attack.

Eighteen smiled at the smoke cloud in the air. "Looks like I win again."

"Check your scanners Eighteen," said Seventeen. "That attack probably didn't hurt Gohan at all."

"Just shut up Seventeen! You're just jealous because I ended up finishing him off!"

"You're nothing but a monster, you know that?"

Eighteen growled and turned around to punch. Gohan caught her fist and stared down at her with a cold expression. Eighteen winced in pain as Gohan applied pressure to her trapped hand.

"You'd use one of your own as a distraction…just to destroy me?" Gohan had been unharmed by Eighteen's blast, but any chance Juu had of reasoning with him was gone. He would kill Seventeen and Eighteen if it was the last thing he did.

"She wasn't one of us!" Eighteen glared at Gohan with hateful eyes. "She chose a monkey over her own kind!"

Gohan applied more pressure on her hand at the last comment, earning a slight yelp. "You enjoy inflicting pain, yet you hate when it's inflicted unto you! You're not any family that I would want. Juu made the right choice. I may be a monkey, but at least I'm not a demon like you."

"I hate you!" Eighteen tried to yank her hand free, and flew back into a building when Gohan released his grip.

Gohan then directed his gaze to Seventeen, and noticed how different the male android's expression was. _Strange…he isn't like his sister. Not that he's good, but he doesn't seem quite as evil as Eighteen. It's obvious now who the ringleader of the duo is. _

Seventeen shook with fear as he hovered in front of Gohan. _Oh crap! Eighteen is stronger than I am…and Gohan has sent her into a building how many times? In any case, I'm screwed…he's gonna kill me._

"Hey Seventeen," said Gohan. "Now that your sister isn't here, what are you going to do? Do you realize the error of your ways? Do you feel sorry for all those people you killed just as Juu did?"

"Don't listen to him Seventeen!" Eighteen flew out of the building she was in and joined Eighteen. "He's trying to turn us against each other. We can't let him do that. No matter what, we'll always be partners. Once we take him down, there'll be no one left to stop us."

Seventeen shook his head and regained his composure. _She's right. Gohan will eventually run out of energy, and then we can beat him. Besides…Eighteen is the only person I've ever had. She may have bossed me around, but she never left me alone. She's my sister…the worst crime I could commit would be betraying her._

Seventeen smiled at Gohan. "Sorry dude, but my loyalty is to my family. Eighteen and I will defeat you. You can't brainwash me into turning on my own sister."

"So be it."

Gohan phased behind Seventeen and knocked him to the ground with a haymaker to the top of the head. He then raised his arm and blocked a kicked from Eighteen. He then slammed his tail into her gut.

Eighteen doubled over in pain, and joined her brother when Gohan hit her back with his tail.

* * *

Piccolo flew at the creature, which had Trunks in its grasp. Trunks had reverted to his normal form, and was slowly being choked to death by the monster's tail.

Tien and Yamcha were both unconscious. They had each been taken out with a single blow. Now their bodies were lying against a dented car.

The creature looked up from Trunks and grinned at the charging Namekian. "Ah Piccolo. I admire your courage."

Releasing its grip on Trunks, the creature phased behind Piccolo and knocked the namek to the ground with a punch.

"Special Beam Canon!" Piccolo's attack succeeded in drilling a hole through the creature's shoulder, rendering its arm useless.

The creature howled in pain as it landed in front of the grinning Namekian.

"Looks like you're not so invincible after all."

The creature smiled back. "Don't get cocky Piccolo. Remember, I have your cells within my being." Grunting loudly, it ripped off its damaged arm. With a mighty yell, a new arm was pushed out in place of the old out. It was wet with bodily fluids.

Piccolo's eyes widened. _This is bad! We don't stand a chance!_

The creature walked towards Piccolo. "It's time Piccolo." It raised its tail, ready to suck the namek up. "Don't worry Piccolo, it will only hurt for a moment."

Just then, both the creature and Piccolo sensed an enormous power.

Piccolo gasped. _It's mind-boggling. It…it can't be Gohan. How could his power have increased by that much?_

The creature's eyes narrowed. _It has to be Gohan…perhaps he has finally broken through…perhaps he has become a super saiyan. I must go to where he is, to make sure he doesn't destroy the androids. He wouldn't have his power up that high unless he was fighting._

The creature turned to Piccolo and grinned. "It's your lucky day Piccolo. I have some business that I need to attend to. You're safe for now, and I suggest you focus on helping your friends. They could use some senzu beans."

With that, the creature ran off, in the direction of Gohan's power level.

* * *

Eighteen chuckled as she saw the seriousness in Gohan's face. "Look at you, Mr. Serious. You think we're scared? Your power won't last forever, and once its gone, you'll be dead…they we'll move on to Juu."

Her words mad Gohan snap. "Don't you ever threaten Juu!" His power surged as his golden flame aura grew in size. His turquoise pupils disappeared into soulless white ones.

"Why'd you have to go and make him mad Eighteen?" asked a worried Seventeen.

"Relax Seventeen," said Eighteen. "Super Saiyan drain more power when they're angry."

"Yeah, but Gohan's no ordinary super saiyan."

"Just shut up, and let's get him." Eighteen flew at Gohan, followed closely by her brother. They were going to attempt their double-teaming strategy again.

Gohan dodged a punch from Seventeen and ducked under a kick from Eighteen. He then hit Eighteen in the side with his tail, and followed up by grabbing her and by the waist and throwing her into Seventeen. He dealt a severe blow to their guts with a single punch.

Juu was in complete awe of Gohan's ruthlessness. _This isn't Gohan at all…he's a monster!_

Gohan then picked Eighteen up by the neck and threw her into a building. He then elbowed Seventeen in the gut as the android tried to attack him from behind. He then grabbed Seventeen with his tail and threw him towards Eighteen.

Seventeen leapt to his feet with Eighteen along side him. Both of them were bleeding and had suffered heavy damage from Gohan's blows.

Gohan flew forward to continue the assault. Juu knew that he could easily kill them. Yet even though they had almost killed her, she couldn't bare to watch her only family die.

"Stop Gohan!" She phased into Gohan's path.

Ignoring her, Gohan went around her and continued his attack on Seventeen and Eighteen.

Gohan simultaneously punched Seventeen and Eighteen in the face, sending then flying back.

Gohan then thrust his arms forward, creating a golden energy chain. The chain wrapped around the two androids, and electrocuted them. Gohan yanked the twins to him and dealt them a sever blow with his knee. He then swung them around before smashing them into the ground. The golden chain shattered, and sounded like glass shattering.

"Warhead Buster!" Gohan extended his hand in a way similar to Vegeta's Big Bang Attack, but instead of a giant ball of energy, a bullet-shaped blast shot out.

Gohan's attack was going to kill them. Juu knew that they would die unless she did something. _I'm sorry Gohan…but I can't bring myself to let them die._

Juu rushed towards Seventeen and Eighteen, and grabbed them. She was able to pull them away from the brunt of the blast, but they were still damaged by the explosion. Juu was sent hurtling away from them by the force of the blast.

As she went flying through the air, Juu expected to crash into one of the buildings. She was surprised when she felt something considerably softer. Looking up, she saw Gohan. She was in his arms.

"G-Gohan…I'm sorry."

Gohan stared at her, before looking back at Seventeen and Eighteen. They were still alive, but the damage from the blast had weakened them to the point where they couldn't stand.

"They tried to kill you, yet you still try to save them?"

"I…I just couldn't let my family die…"

"They practically disowned you."

"I know…but still, I just don't want to give up on them."

Gohan's face showed signs of confusion.

"Do you know why I was drawn to you? Yes, you did remotely resemble my brother…but that wasn't it. You always seemed to know something about someone. It's true that you killed many people…but you let me live, even though I killed your father."

Gohan's soulless eyes became turquoise again.

"You would hear people out before you killed them. You could always tell when a person had the potential to be good. Please Gohan…give them a second chance. Don't let that super saiyan power turn you into a monster." Juu looked away, as if waiting for him to hurt her.

Gohan smiled at her, as he reverted to his normal form. "Thanks Juu…I really was a monster, wasn't I? It wasn't my original intention to destroy the androids. I guess I still have some work to do in terms of controlling my powers."

Juu shook her head. "You were only trying to protect me…this whole situation was unfortunate."

Gohan landed on the ground and set Juu down. Juu ran up to Seventeen and Eighteen to see if they were okay.

"Um…are you going to let them live Gohan?"

Gohan nodded. "Sure…but this is the only time. If they try to kill you again, I'll destroy them."

Seventeen opened his eyes and sat up. He wasn't as severely injured as his sister. He looked at Juu, and then saw Gohan watching them from further away. He noticed that Gohan was no longer in his super saiyan state.

"What happened Juu?" asked Seventeen.

"I was able to convince Gohan to spare you and Eighteen…but you have to stop hurting people or he'll destroy you for sure."

Seventeen averted his eyes from Juu and to the ground. "Sorry about what I did…er…what I would've done, earlier. I guess I didn't understand you or what you were saying until Gohan beat the crap out of me."

"It'll be fine now Seventeen. Although I am worried about what Eighteen will do when she wakes up."

"No doubt she'll be mad," said Seventeen. "I think we both know that she doesn't take defeat lightly." Seventeen then remembered that Gohan was still there. "Has he run out of power?"

"No, he just powered down, so don't get any funny ideas."

Gohan smiled. _Seventeen is the softer of the two androids. I'm not too worried about him by himself…but Eighteen could be a real problem. _

Gohan then sensed a power approaching them. He recognized it immediately_. It's that thing…it's coming._

* * *

This is one of the chapters I have been waiting for. I'm going to enjoy writing the next part of the story. For those of you who were wondering, that "over 90,000,000" comment Seventeen made is a reference to Vegeta's "over 9,000" scene. I know it might be a lame reference, but I couldn't resist. In ay case, I have to review questions:

1-Did you like the fact that Gohan made some use out of his tail? I purposely had him utilize it a lot.

2-Did you feel sorry for Seventeen?

3-What do you think of Gohan's enormous power?


	15. Ultimate Terror

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

* * *

"What is it Gohan?" asked Juu in a worried tone.

"That creature I warned you about. It's on its way now. You two should get out of here and take Eighteen with you. For some reason its after you."

Juu shook her head. "Super saiyan or not, I can't let you face that creature alone."

Gohan was about to protest, but was cut off as a special beam cannon came at him. Gohan dodged the attack and powered up to his super saiyan form, but the golden flame didn't appear around his body.

"He's here!"

Juu and Seventeen tensed up as the creature came into view. They were immediately repulsed by its appearance.

"Look at it…it's a freak of nature," said Seventeen.

"Be careful Seventeen," said Juu. "Gohan told me that this creature was very tough."

The monster glanced from Gohan to the two androids. "Ah…this is a very interesting development. Not only have you become a super saiyan, Gohan, but you've joined forces with the androids as well."

"I can crush you now," said Gohan. "I was able to survive your attacks in my normal form, but now I can kill you before my power drains." A golden flame tried to envelop Gohan, but he quickly suppressed it.

Cell grinned at Gohan. "You seem off Gohan. You've limited your own power. You may think you can beat me, but you yourself seem to be fighting the power. How can you beat me and suppress such an immense power at the same time?"

Juu gave Gohan a concerned look. _Is Gohan afraid? Is he afraid of going too far and turning into a monster again?_ She noted that his golden aura and glow were gone, now he just looked like he had died his hair blonde.

"Is something wrong Gohan," asked Seventeen.

"Just leave," said Gohan. _This power is overwhelming…I can't let it consume me. I don't ever want to go against Juu…never again. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I distressed her again._

Seventeen briefly checked his scanners before picking up Eighteen and grabbing Juu's arm.

"Come on Juu. Let's get going. "

Juu didn't budge. "No! I'm not leaving him to fight this monster on his own."

"My scanners indicated that he was stronger than that creature."

"Don't you see Seventeen? Gohan's scared. He's scared of his own power. He doesn't want to loose control and become a killing machine like he did last time. And because of that, he won't fight at his full power."

The creature didn't waste anymore time. Before Seventeen or Juu could do anything it took to the air.

"What's it doing?" Gohan had no idea what the creature was going to do next.

"Solar Flare!" As the creature lit up the area in a blinding flash of light, Gohan phased in front of the androids, to shield them from the attack.

"Please Juu…leave now!" Gohan clutched at his eyes, but otherwise stood strong.

Juu's heart ached as she saw him clutching his eyes in pain. Neither she, nor Seventeen were affected due to him shielding them.

Seventeen tugged at Juu. "Come on let's go." However, Juu was reluctant to move, she just kept staring at Gohan. As she started relenting, Seventeen felt Eighteen being wrenched out of his grip.

"Now to absorb the first one." The creature leapt back and its tail opened out into a funnel-like structure. As it was about to suck Eighteen in, Gohan slammed his fist into it. The creature relinquished its grip as it crashed into a nearby building.

"Get out of here now Juu! I'll be fine, but I don't want that thing to absorb any of you."

Juu was about to say something, but Seventeen put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll only get n the way Juu." Seventeen then went to pickup Eighteen before taking off.

Looking at Gohan one last time, Juu reluctantly left the area.

With a howl, the creature erupted from the building to find the androids missing. "It appears that the androids have gotten away. But they couldn't have gotten far."

"You won't be getting to them creature."

"Creature? Well I guess it's about time I told you my name. I am Cell, Dr. Gero's ultimate creation. I have been created from the cells of the strongest fighters in the universe, and when I absorb the androids, my evolution will be complete and I will be unstoppable."

Gohan tensed up. "You won't get to them. I'll see to that." Gohan phased in front of Cell and punch him in the face. As Cell went flying Gohan felt a huge surge of power and struggled to suppress it.

"Something wrong Gohan?" mocked Cell as he managed to land a blow to the saiyan's cheek.

Gohan went flying, but caught himself before he crashed into anything. He then tried to counter, by rushing Cell, however, as he reached his target he felt his deeper powers trying to come out. He forcibly suppressed, but ended up being knocked into a building as a result.

"You can't beat me if you're constantly fighting yourself," said Cell. "I've absorbed enough bioextract to defeat you in your normal form, so you have no choice but to use your full super saiyan might…if you're going to defeat me."

"Warhead Buster!" As Gohan called fired his blast, he felt a surge of energy again. When he suppressed it, his aim suffered and the attack barely missed Cell. _This isn't good…I can't beat Cell and suppress my powers at the same time…maybe I should do it…maybe I should give in._ Then, the memory of Juu crying came back to his mind. _ No…I can't do that to her again. I won't let it. _

"If you're done contemplating, I think I'll put an end to this little diversion. Solar Flare!" Cell's technique blinded Gohan before he knew what was going on.

As he became disoriented by the blinding light he struggled to keep himself in control of his powers, but his control was slipping, and now he couldn't sense Cell anywhere.

Cell had gone off to find the androids. He was keeping his power suppressed to avoid detection.

_No! Where did he go?_ Gohan looked around desperately, but could not find Cell. His heart throbbed as the thought of Cell finding Juu came to mind.

* * *

Juu and Seventeen took shelter in an abandoned building, which had managed to withstand the assault on the city.

Seventeen laid Eighteen down on the ground and turned to Juu.

Juu's hand was on her heart as she stared out the broken window. _Oh Gohan…please be careful. _

Seventeen put a hand on her shoulder. "Thinking about Gohan?"

Juu turned to Seventeen with a confused look.

"I'm you're brother Juu. Surely you haven't forgotten how well I know you. I can tell that you're thinking about him."

Juu stared at the ground with a sad expression. "I care about him, even if he has a ten to one advantage I'll still worry about him."

Seventeen smiled. "You know, I would've never expected this out of Eighteen, and I don't think she'd like it. I think it's best if we focus on keeping ourselves safe for now. Gohan will be fine, but I'd think he'd want you to be safe."

"All I've ever done is hold him back. I told you about my space adventure with, and how I helped him defeat Cold, but he would've killed Cold on his own if I hadn't interfered. Why would he care about me? I don't deserve it."

"Be that as it may, there's no denying what he did. He transformed into a super saiyan for you. He shielded us from that solar flare attack so we could escape…more specifically so you could escape. He doesn't care about what you did, he still cares about you, and the same goes for me."

Juu felt tears well up in her eyes as she reached forward and hugged her brother.

"How touching." They both turned around with wide eyes to see Cell standing before them. "Don't worry about Gohan, I was able to shake him, but he's fine."

"Who are you," asked Juu, as is to stall for time while she pulled Eighteen closer to her.

Cell laughed. "Well I suppose its only fair that I tell you. I am Cell, the single greatest achievement of Dr. Gero. That's right, I'm that little larva, which was developing down in Gero's lab."

Seventeen's eyes widened as Dr. Gero's final words played through in his mind.

"_He will find you!"_

Cell grinned as he raised his tail in preparation to suck in one of his targets.

"_He will consume you!"_

Cell's pointed tail end suddenly expanded into a funnel like structure. "Time for you to become part of perfection."

"_And then you will both be a part of his ultimate perfection!" _

As Cell got closer Seventeen impulsively reached for Juu and Eighteen. He pushed Eighteen into Juu's arm, and then threw Juu out of the window. "Get out of here! I'll stall him!"

Juu was so shocked that she nearly crashed into the ground. As she hovered in the air with Eighteen in her arms she looked back up through the window to see her brother firing small ki-blasts at Cell.

"What are you waiting for Juu? Get out of here now!" Just as he said those words, the funnel end of Cell's tail engulfed his upper body and started sucking him in.

With tears in her eyes Juu took off away from the building, hoping that Cell wouldn't catch up to her.

* * *

Gohan sensed Cell's power level again. His eyes widened in horror when he sensed in skyrocket. _ No! He's absorbed one of them. I just hope its not Juu._

He powered up a little shot towards the location. When he arrived he couldn't see Juu or any of the other androids. However, and explosion in a nearby building alerted him to a presence there.

Gohan hovered cautiously in front of the building, on guard as he waited for the smoke to clear.

There was laughter as the figure emerged. It looked more humanoid now, but it had no nose and it still had that long tail. Its wings were gone and it had those eyes; the same eyes that the androids had.

"No!" Gohan looked on with wide eyes. "Did you?"

Cell laughed. "I did. I absorbed android 17. Now then, with your inner struggle going on, I should be able to deal with you in this form." A grin appeared on Cell's face. "Then I'll track down the other two…though I wonder which one I should absorb. Ah…I know, probably the one that's still conscious."

Gohan knew what he was talking about, and refused to let it happen; allowing himself to give in to his anger he charged forward. "No!"

Cell readied himself. Gohan was off; he hadn't gotten control of his power yet and could not utilize it to its full potential. Even though Cell was still weaker in this form he still had a chance.

Cell dodged Gohan's poorly thrown punch and countered by placed his palm on Gohan's chest and firing a blast.

Gohan went flying through a few buildings before landed on top of a car and crashing through and into one of the seats.

Cell was about to follow through, when he caught a scent. _Yes of course…thanks to Gohan I now know how to track the androids. They're quite a distance away and I can get to them now, but first I'll have to get Gohan out of my hair. Once I have reached my perfect for I will dispose of him._

* * *

Eighteen slowly regained consciousness. As she regained her vision she found herself being carried away by Juu. Her brother was nowhere in sight.

Memories of the past event flooded back to her mind and Eighteen lashed out at Juu without any warning. Juu was taken by surprised and fell to the ground, dropping Eighteen.

She looked up in fear, realizing that Eighteen was awake. Her counterpart loomed over her menacingly.

"Where if he? Where is Seventeen?"

Juu started crying as memories of her brother's sacrifice came back to her mind.

Eighteen growled in anger and lifted Juu up by the collar. "I'm loosing my patience Juu! Where is Seventeen! What did Gohan do to my brother?"

"It wasn't Gohan…" Juu looked away, unable to meet her sister's gaze.

Eighteen yelled and shook her violently. 'What do you mean it wasn't Gohan? He's the one who knocked me unconscious. You probably let him kill Seventeen!"

"I swear it wasn't Gohan. It was that thing-"

"I've heard just about enough of your lies Juu!" Eighteen started strangling Juu with one hand as she brought the other one to Juu chest, ready blast a hole through it.

She then noticed Juu's expression. It was one of fear, but not fear of her. Juu was staring at something behind her. Eighteen brushed it off, thinking it was just Juu's reaction to being choked.

"Mind if I cut in ladies?" Eighteen's eyes widened as she felt the presence behind her. That voice…it sounded creepy.

Letting go of Juu, Eighteen turned around to see the thing that had taken her brother.

Cell loomed over her with a devious grin. "I can tell that you're the stronger one. So I'll absorb you."

Eighteen felt herself grow cold. Dr. Gero's final words played through in her head.

"_He will find you! He will consume you! And then you will both be part of his ultimate perfection!"_

She couldn't move as Cell's tail enveloped her.

Juu looked on in horror as Eighteen was sucked up through the tail just as Seventeen had been a short while ago.

But her thoughts quickly drifted to someone else. _Gohan…where are you…what happened to you?_

* * *

This chapter was a bit difficult to write, but hopefully, the next one will be better. I hope you all enjoyed the feelings between Gohan and Juu. I also hope that you felt sorry for Seventeen. He was a good man with bad luck.


	16. Perfect Storm

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

* * *

Juu backed away from Cell's glowing form. The sheer amount of power the transformation was generating sent chills down her spine. In her own way, she could feel how strong he was becoming.

As his transformation ended, she realized the danger and started to run. Unfortunately, as she turned around she ended up face to face with the new Cell.

He was smaller than the previous form, with a far more attractive face. His wings where back and covered his back like shields. His tail had shrunk since it was no longer vital. This new form didn't seem as scary, yet it gave off a more menacing aura than the previous two forms.

"Going some where?" His voice was cooler and smoother, yet there was an underlying menace to it.

She backed away slightly before running again.

He phased in front of her. Barring her way; a grin plastered on his face. "I asked you a question."

"I…why would you care?" She took her fighting stance. "You've already absorbed Seventeen and Eighteen.

He chuckled. "This is true, but you could say I'm angry at you."

Her eyes widened in shock and fear.

Letting out an evil laugh, he grabbed her by the throat and held her against the wall of an intact building. "You should've stayed in your own universe like a good little android. Now my counterpart in your world shall never know how it feels to be perfect." Letting out a cruel laugh he tightened his grip. "You could say I'm empathetic."

"Don't...don't t-try t-to f-foo-l…m-me…" A curious expression crossed his face as he loosened his grip in order to hear her. "A monster like you…shall never know the meaning of empathy."

Smirking, Cell tightened his grip again. "I suppose you're right. However, I really do want to test the limits of my perfect form. Since you just so happened to be around, I guess I'll volunteer you…"

Suddenly, he dropped her, and leapt back to dodged a ki blast.

"That's enough Cell," said Gohan as he landed. "You're fighting me now."

"Good…I was hoping you'd show up. You're the strongest opponent I could face. You'll make a perfect test subject for my new powers."

"I'll crush you Cell! I won't allow you to terrorize the universe like Freeza did!"

"I'm afraid you're mistaken Gohan. I am now the most powerful being in the universe. I am perfect, and you cannot hope to defeat me." He took his fighting stance. "Now come at me with everything you've got!"

Taking his stance, Gohan turned to Juu, his turquoise eyes softening at the sight of her. "Please leave Juu. I don't want you in the middle of this."

"But I can't just leave you here to fight him off on your own. You'll need my help."

Shaking his head, Gohan smiled at her. "Maybe I can't win, but you being here won't make a difference in that regard. He's well beyond you. It'll ease my heart if you were out of the danger zone."

Looking from one to the other, Cell broke out into a fit of laughter. "Now this is precious. An android and a saiyan hybrid. What a twist!"

Doing as he wished, Juu ran off, looking back one last time before taking to the air.

Turning back to Cell with a serious look, Gohan focused his energy. _I've got to take this guy out fast. I've got a feeling that a prolonged fight will be to his advantage._

Phasing behind Cell, Gohan attempted to land a kick. However, Cell expected that move and blocked with his elbow. Twisting his waist, Gohan attempted a second kick, but Cell grabbed his leg. Lifting the hybrid over his head, Cell slammed him into the ground in front of him.

When Cell let go of his leg, Gohan did a forward roll to gain some distance before leaping to his feet. Turning to face Cell, he extended his hand and fired his Warhead Buster.

Cell swatted the attack aside and grinned maliciously. "Come on Gohan. Show me your best. I know you're holding back."

Growling in frustration, Gohan rushed forward and attacked Cell with a barrage of punches.

Catching one of the punches, Cell countered with his own punch to Gohan's face, which sent the super saiyan staggering back.

Wiping away the blood, Gohan turned his attention back to Cell and took up a defensive stance. _All right, I can tell that Juu's left the area. That means she won't be caught up in the middle of this._

"You can't beat me like this Gohan." Glancing to the side, Cell smirked. "She's left the area now. You won't have to worry about her getting caught up in this. Go on, give in to your full power."

Taking deep breathes to calm himself, Gohan kept his gaze focused on Cell. "Fine. You asked for it. I'll fight you at one hundred percent."

Giving in to his power, Gohan felt his energy surge. He knew that the monster inside wouldn't waste time hunting Juu and was secure in the fact that he would only be fighting Cell. His golden flame reappeared and enveloped his body, causing his hair to shine like the sun. There were even a few stray lightning bolts in his aura as it glowed brightly.

"So this is your full power," said Cell in an impressed tone. "Finally, a worthy opponent."

Not wasting any time, Gohan phased in front of Cell and knocked him back with a punch to the face. Cell went flying into a building.

Chuckling as he got back up, Cell wiped the purple blood from his split lip. "That's it, give in to your anger. You want to protect her don't you? You want to protect Juu."

"You have no right to say her name!" Flaring his aura, Gohan charged at Cell and engaged him in hand-to-hand combat.

They were even, ever punch was blocked, and neither one seemed to tire. Then Gohan formed his energy chains while he punched. The chains wrapped around Cell's arm, and then electrocuted him.

Biting his lip, Cell shut out the pain. He was then sent into the air with a kick. Jerking him back down with the chains, Gohan then sent Cell flying into a building with a roundhouse kick. The chains shattered, freeing Cell.

There was laughter, and to Gohan's surprise, Cell emerged from the wreckage with a euphoric look on his face. "That was fun Gohan. It really got the adrenalin pumping." He then clapped. "Bravo Gohan. You're the first and probably the only person who will ever hurt me in this form. For that, I think you are worthy…worthy of seeing my true power."

Gohan's mouth gaped and his eyes widened. _What? He was just toying with me the whole time? _

"I guess I should tell you a little more about myself so that you understand what's going on. Dr. Gero created me by combining the genes of the strongest warriors in the universe, and that includes the super saiyans. That's right Gohan, the power you are using now also flows through my blood."

"You mean…you can become a super saiyan?"

"Well I wouldn't call it that, but yes. This is my version of the super saiyan. I think I'll call it super perfection!"

With a mighty yell, Cell started powering up. The ground shook and lightning randomly struck the ground around him. The spots and blotches covering his green skin turned gold, and the purple dome-like structure on his head also turned gold. A golden flame, much like Gohans, now enveloped his body.

Cell beckoned Gohan to come forth and attack. Gohan obliged with a kick to the head. However, the attack didn't damage Cell at all.

Gohan backed away with a fearful expression. _That attack…he…he didn't even attempt to block it or dodge it…he's too strong for me. But…Juu…I have to fight, I won't let him get her…I love her!_

"Is that all Gohan? Why don't you try again? I'll give you three tries; you've just used one. Then it'll be my turn to have some fun."

Growling in frustration, Gohan extended his hand. "Take this! Warhead Buster!" The blast tore up the ground as it rocketed towards its target.

Cell remained unmoving as the blast approached and finally hit him. When the smoke cleared, it revealed him to be unharmed. He wiped his chest casually. "That one actually gave me pins and needles."

"Let's see if this does better!" Phasing in front of Cell, Gohan hit him in the face with three roundhouse kicks before flipping over him. Spinning around, he then fired his Galic Crusher, point blank, to the back of the head. Then he leapt back to see his handiwork.

Scratching the back of his head, Cell turned around with a smug smirk on his face. "Now that one gave me a stinging feeling. Now it's my turn."

Phasing in front of his target, Cell sent him into the air with a kick. He then pursued him and sent him into the ground with a sharp elbow to the back.

Landing in front of Gohan, he waited for him to regain his footing. "I think I'll use you as my guinea pig. Cupping his hands, he said "Kamehameha!"

Gohan only had time to cross his arms. The blast bulldozed him into a building, before fizzling out. He found himself inside a parking garage. It was a big place to hide in.

Running behind one of the pillars he begin thinking. _Okay…I can't beat him head to head…but he has to run out of energy some time. That power of his must have an immense cost.

* * *

_

The Namekians ran, screaming for their lives as the lizard men ransacked their village. The lasers these new foes possessed took many down.

"Enough of this!" yelled a Namekian warrior as he charged into battle. He took down several enemies with sharp blows to the head. Crossing his arms, he blocked off the lasers before countering with an explosive wave.

The attack cleared the area of lizard men.

"Well done Gastro," said a villager.

"Thanks, but I don't think we're finished yet," replied Gastro. He looked around with a serious expression. "Get the wounded out of here. The lizards will probably have reinforcements."

"Alright. Good luck."

As the villagers fled, Gastro detected a new presence in the area. "Who are you? Show yourself!"

"I suppose you've all forgotten me. I wouldn't be surprised. It's been so very long since I set foot on this planet."

Gastro eyes widened as the figure came into a view. "A…A fellow Namekian? Why would you betray your own people?"

"I guess Guru never told you about me. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lord Slug, and I've returned here to get my revenge!"

Taking his fighting stance, Gastro got ready for battle. "I don't know what happened to you Slug, but I will not let you harm our home planet!"

* * *

A malicious grin adorned Cell's face. _Looks like I'll have to flush him out._ "Time to dance Gohan!"

He pointed his finger and a stream of Death beams came flying out.

Sensing the danger, Gohan back flipped out of the way. He continued to do so, as Cell's finger followed him. Reaching the end of the building, he leapt out of the side through an opening.

"Ah, Gohan, I was worried you might be dead, I really wanted to try some other moves on you." He formed two death saucers and threw then at Gohan.

Taking to the air, Gohan ducked and weaved out of the way as each saucer tried to cut him.

"This is like a videogame," remarked Cell as he casually guided the saucers with his fingers.

Gohan realized he was trapped between the two death saucers as they closed in on him. An idea popped into his head, and he rushed for one of the saucers. He managed to grab it, and then threw it into the oncoming one. They both exploded in a brilliant flash of purple.

"Brilliant light show," said Cell as he clapped.

Phasing behind Gohan, he grabbed him by the throat and chucked him higher into the air. He then used the multiform technique to split into two Cells.

"Purple Comet Attack!" The two Cell's moved in synch as the juggled Gohan higher and higher into the sky. The super saiyan was helpless as they volleyed him back and form before coming together and spiking him back down. Creating an impact crater.

Gohan struggled to get up. His body was covered in cuts and bruises and he had reverted to his normal form. _N-No…he's too strong…Juu…I'm sorry…_ Unable to stand, he fell to his knees and looked up at his doom.

"You're out of juice eh? Too bad, but I guess I'll have to put you out of your misery." Raising his hands, Cell started laughing. "Now let's have some fun. Alright earthlings, give me your stupid energy!"

Gohan watched with a confused expression as black dots of energy began coming together above Cell's head.

It took a full ten minutes for Cell's bomb to be finished. It was now a huge ball of black energy with the occasional bolt of lightning.

"Now Gohan, you will have death worthy of a great warrior." Compressing the Spirit Bomb into a basketball-sized orb of energy, Cell casually tossed it up a few times before finally chucking it at Gohan.

As the bomb came close, it expanded back to its full size, engulfing Gohan and everything around him. Arching his back in pain, Gohan felt his consciousness slip away.

Calling out Juu's name, he then fell into darkness.

* * *

This is the last chapter of 'Crossroads of Destiny' I was going to make this story longer, but the part after this stuff seems like it belongs in a different story. I'm going to do a sequel, but I'm not sure when I'll start it. It'll probably be called 'Rise of the Big Five', or 'Galaxy War' also, it will pick up right where this one left off(no gap in between). Anyway, i have some review questions:

1-What do you think of Cell and his powers? Does he seem like overkill?

2-Were you upset with the ending?

3-Which of the above titles for the sequel sounds better?


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